Mania
by Vael Lia'Orzh
Summary: Tokyo is the largest metropolis in the world. It boasts a population of almost 38 million people. With so many people crammed into one space it would make sense for disease to spread quickly. But it had never seen one spread this quickly. It would only take one week. Tokyo will fall. If they are not careful the city will drag them down with it. AU
1. September 6 - Outbreak

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Day 0

Gengo Office Complex

'Wanna meet up tonight?'

It was an innocent question, no flirtatious undertone, so why did it make her stomach clench to read it? Sango and the others asked her similar questions at least three times a week. Then again, Sango and the others didn't invite her out with the unsaid implication that 'meet up' meant 'have sex'. Kagome toyed with a button on her high collar jacket. She stared at her phone as her insides performed some impressive acrobatics.

There wasn't anything different about this message from any she had received before. It had been two months since she met this guy and he hadn't changed his invitation once. It was always the same four words and question mark. It wouldn't surprise her to learn that he had a draft saved somewhere only for her it was so painfully unchanged. Any other day, she would have responded with one of two answers.

Yes, and they would meet for drinks and conversation before retiring to his place for the night.

No, and he would accept her answer and not bother her for the rest of the day, assuming she was busy with work or friends.

It was actually a great system. Kagome appreciated her partner's understanding nature, and their intimate relations over the past two months had helped with reducing her work-related stress. It had also improved her mood, according to Sota. She was more than eager to continue with the current arrangement.

Except that she was really starting to like this guy.

Kagome froze as that thought crossed her mind. Of course she liked this guy. Why else would she continue to meet him, at least once a week, for two months? He was a nice person, in an unconventional sort of way, he had a twisted sense of humor that made her laugh, and he actually listened to whatever she talked about while they drank. Even remembered most of it later. It didn't hurt that he was also great in bed.

Thinking about him made butterflies take flight in her stomach and something warm curl around her heart. All at once, she was a giddy middle school girl again, chasing after Inuyasha. Yet with that feeling came dread, heavy as steel. She hastily put her phone face down on her desk, unwilling to look at it anymore.

She liked him. Not just in a platonic-but-fucking kind of way either. She really liked him.

She almost wanted to hit herself for being the way that she was. Two months of sex and shallow conversation and she was somehow falling for him.

Why did she always have the worst luck when it came to relationships with men? First there was Inuyasha, who she had lost to Kikyo. Then there was her unconventional relationship with Koga before he'd honored his commitment to Ayame. Her longest relationship was with her college boyfriend and even that hadn't worked out. She was thinking she should give up dating all together.

The invitation came back to her mind and one part of her wanted to say yes, for way more reasons than she could even count right now. The other part of her, the more logical part that she dedicated to her survival, said to ignore it. If she met up with him tonight after this revelation on her feelings she might say or do something stupid. Saying something stupid could end poorly. There was no reason for him to return these sudden feelings. Hell, he would no doubt stop talking to her completely if he knew she'd developed Feelings.

Of course, there was no rule to this arrangement that said feelings were bad.

Kagome frowned at that traitorous thought and pushed her phone away. He wouldn't think anything of it if she didn't respond for a few hours. He understood that she worked a lot and couldn't always respond to his messages right away. That was another reason to like him.

With that unwanted thought Kagome dove right back into her work. She hoped translating a novel from French to Japanese would be enough to distract her.

–

Unnamed Ramen Stand

Sota yawned and stretched his arms over his head as he passed through the open entrance of his high school. It was lunchtime and today he was going to eat off campus with Yata and Fushimi. It was difficult to meet up with them during school hours, since both had decided to forgo high school, but it wasn't impossible. There was a ramen stand around the corner from the school, run by an irritable man called Urameshi. They tended to meet there when his friends could make it in time.

When he rounded the corner both of his middle school friends were there, bickering over something while Urameshi scowled at them. Sota ran over to throw an arm around each boy. There were already three bowls of steaming ramen waiting and he grinned.

"You two are so sweet, buying me lunch." He said as he pulled both close to make them forget whatever they were arguing about. Most likely Fushimi's decision to take the test for SCEPTER4. Yata protested the sudden closeness with a shout and tried to pull away. Fushimi dealt with it, still as a statue. They couldn't be more different.

"We didn't buy you shit, Higurashi!" Yata shouted as Sota released his unnaturally tight hold and took his seat on Yata's other side. Sota pouted at his friends for a moment before fishing some money Kagome had given him out of his pocket. Urameshi nodded, took it, then left the stall to smoke.

"Don't try to use your sister's pout. It doesn't work, and it looks creepy." Fushimi said as he broke his chopsticks and stirred his ramen, pushing the ingredients around until everything was the same color. Yata and Sota gave him horrified looks that he ignored.

Sota snapped his chopsticks and decided to go for his boiled egg first. Yata and Fushimi had been his best friends since their first year of middle school. Even though he had been the only one to go to high school they had stayed close, much to his joy. It helped that they adored his older sister, even if neither were willing to admit it openly. They tended to visit her apartment for all sorts of reasons, both together and alone. Naturally, she treated them as if they'd always been her little brothers and joked that their mother must have had triplets that separated at birth.

"Speaking of nee-san, she wanted to know if you two wanted to come to the apartment this weekend for dinner." Sota told them while slurping some broth. She'd messaged him yesterday with the offer. He had a feeling it had something to do with the guy she was seeing and refused to tell him about.

"Sure! We'll bring the ingredients." Yata accepted enthusiastically, as Sota had expected considering his not-so-small crush. At least now it was only Yata and not him and Fushimi. That had been painful to endure.

"It's been awhile since she invited us over for dinner." Fushimi stated, almost sounding suspicious and a little hurt at the lack of attention. Though it wasn't as if anyone else would be able to tell. It took knowing Fushimi as long as he had to realize the subtle undertones in his voice. They usually came over every other weekend for dinner and movies. Sometimes they stopped by when Kagome had a day off from her work, but lately she had been busy.

"Yeah, she met some guy two months ago and they keep meeting up on the weekends to 'hang out'." Sota told them in disbelief. He was pretty sure she was meeting this guy for sex, even if she would never in her life admit to him that it was the truth. He was suspicious, but there wasn't much he could do when Kagome was so unwilling to talk about it.

"Are they dating?" Yata asked through a mouthful of noodles.

"Nah. I think they just meet up and have sex."

Sota stuffed the last of his noodles in his mouth and it became dead silent in the small ramen stand. Even Urameshi, who had been cleaning up, stopped making noise. Looking up at his friends it surprised him to see both Yata and Fushimi blushing at his blunt confession. Yata he could understand. He could hardly speak to girls. Fushimi didn't have that problem, but he supposed it had something to do with Kagome being the girl in question. The thought of her having sex, or having someone she regularly met up with for sex, must have embarrassed them both. Sota had long since accepted this part of his sister's life. At least it wasn't as bad as her strange relationship with Koga that had died quietly.

"Are you serious?"

Sota almost didn't hear the question over the sound of his own slurping, but he assumed it was Yata. He put down his now empty bowl.

"Yup. He's sorta like an acquaintance-with-benefits." He told them as he handed his bowl to the dumbfounded Urameshi. Sota checked his phone and realized he only had a few minutes before he had to start heading back to the high school. He still wanted to see if Yata and Fushimi wanted to hang out after school was over.

"Isn't the term supposed to be friends-with-benefits?" Fushimi mumbled as he put his partly finished ramen up on the top of the bar.

"Well, yeah. But she hasn't ever called him a friend so..." Sota let the thought trail away from him as they waited for Yata, who was a strangely slow eater, to finish his meal.

"Wait. Do you even know this guy's name?" Yata asked as he shoveled half his boiled egg into his mouth. Fushimi cringed at his manners.

"Now that you mention it..." Sota tried to remember if Kagome had told him her new partner's name, even in passing, but was coming up blank. He knew the guy's number from sneaking through Kagome's phone, so it wouldn't be hard to find out who he was. Their grandfather would even help, being as overprotective as he was.

"Eh. Anyways, do you guys wanna head to the arcade after school?"

Yata gaped at his dismissal of the subject.

"Don't you wanna know more about this guy?!" Yata asked, his protective instincts flaring up at the thought of some stranger spending time with Kagome. It was nice to know that his sister had such dedicated people looking after her.

"He keeps her from getting stressed and occasionally makes her laugh. Can't ask for more right now." Yata frowned and Sota knew he wasn't getting anywhere with his hotheaded friend. "If it makes you feel better, I'll ask my grandfather to look into him. He can figure out who she's meeting with."

Fushimi sighed at the answer, as if it wasn't quite enough but would do for now, and Sota grinned.

"Sooo…arcade?"

Yata didn't answer, occupied with his own thoughts, but Fushimi answered for them as Sota stood to make a break back for the school before the gate closed.

"Yeah, we'll meet you there."

–

Bar HOMRA

The bar was unusually quiet today. Friday afternoons were typically more energetic than this, but Kusanagi couldn't complain. He had a few customers, Mikoto was staying upstairs sleeping, and Totsuka had taken Anna to the park for the day.

Everything was calm. And then trouble came waltzing in.

Said trouble wasn't dressed casually, as he had hoped, but in the blue uniform of the infamous SCEPTER4.

"Seri-chan! Long time no see!"

The woman huffed at his overly casual tone. They'd seen each other not but three days ago when she'd stumbled into him about to have dinner at a ramen stand. He hadn't been successful in convincing her to stay. She sat down at the bar and he noticed that a sword was not attached to her hip and wondered. SCEPTER4 members were to always have their swords on hand. Everyone knew that.

"I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries, Kusanagi-san."

"That's a shame. Can I get you a drink?"

Seri frowned and Kusanagi grinned. It was a familiar dance at this point and Kusanagi enjoyed it. Whether or not Seri did was up for debate.

"I'm here to ask about a recent event that happened nearby." She told him curtly and it felt like the air was sucked out of the room as the few customers quieted immediately. Kusanagi frowned as the playful atmosphere died with a sharp edge. He knew exactly what she was talking about and he couldn't even make a clever quip about it. It would be wrong.

"Whadaya want to know?" He asked as he tried to distract himself with cleaning glasses. This was going to be an unpleasant conversation, but he would do what he could to help SCEPTER4 this time.

"Did you know the victim or the perpetrator?" Seri asked with that cold, distant tone he had come to realize she only used to keep some distance. Kusanagi felt his throat tighten at the question. Perpetrator? It felt wrong to call her that.

"The wife, Hana, came by once a week to drink coffee and read a book." Every Thursday had been like clockwork for Hana. Come in, get a window seat, cup of black coffee, had it refilled three times, then she would leave with a smile and a thank you. She was a good woman, always had a kind word for everyone. She'd once told him about her family that she loved more than anything. She had been a regular, so it was hard to believe that she'd done something so horrible.

"Did she ever mention a reason to be mad at her husband?"

"Nah. She could only talk about how supportive and wonderful he was. Nice guy, from what I heard."

Seri huffed in a soft manner at his answer and shifted in her seat. She wasn't getting the answers that she wanted and it showed.

"Did she ever seem unstable to you?"

"The exact opposite. She was a woman that had it together."

It was strange, in a disturbing way, to think that she'd torn her husband limb from limb with no provocation. It wasn't even the violence that disturbed him, it was the way she did it. Hana was a delicate thing, rail thin and unable to carry more than two bags of groceries. Yet, somehow, she'd been able to tear apart a grown man with her bare hands. She'd scared the responders to the scene enough that they'd shot her on sight.

Seri frowned at his answers and he knew why. They didn't point to any logical reason Hana might have snapped and done what she did. He wished he could have given his pretty SCEPTER4 lieutenant the answers that she wanted, or needed, but he hadn't any idea where to start. She sighed and got off her seat, seeing that questioning him was going nowhere fast. There was hesitation in her movements. While he might have hoped it was a desire to spend time with him that caused it, he knew it was something else.

"Is anyone in HOMRA sick?" She asked, somewhat randomly, with an uncertain look on her face. Almost as if she didn't know if it was a question she wanted to ask. It confused him why she would, but she clearly knew something that he didn't. But this had nothing to do with the Hana incident, right?

"Not that I know of..."

Seri bit her lip and Kusanagi knew that it was serious. She never did anything to show how worried she was. Seri was the heartless woman. She was always to have a calm, unflappable exterior. There was nothing that could get to her, or even make her composure waver. Yet, something was.

"Seri? What's going on?" Kusanagi asked quietly, not wanting to bring anymore attention to Seri than he had to. He knew she wouldn't like people seeing her even a little vulnerable.

Seri looked at him, conflicted, and shook her head.

"I don't know Kusanagi." She told him before looking away. Despite the guilty action, he knew that she wasn't lying to him. She had never lied to him before and he knew that she never would. Seri was many things, but she was not a liar. It wasn't her style.

"Just...stay safe." Seri said before leaving the bar in a hurry. He almost didn't have time to utter a thanks before she was gone. Some part of him, a part that he didn't want to listen to, wondered if he was going to see her again. He hoped that he would.

For now, he should probably close up the bar and go wake up Mikoto. They needed to talk about this odd visit.

–

Iyashi Apartments

Kikyo frowned as she looked over the expenses she'd racked up over the past month. Or rather, the expenses that she and Inuyasha had racked up. She didn't ever regret getting together with her childhood crush. She loved living with him, but sometimes he drove her right up a wall. His unwillingness to get a job, as she'd tried convince him to do before, was just the tip of an angry iceberg.

His ridiculous spending was the base of it.

From spending days at arcades to buying new stuff for the apartment they didn't need. He had even been eating out almost every day for lunch and dinner, and it seemed there was no end to his new spending habits. Even asking Kagome, who had been an unwitting accomplice by letting Inuyasha pay for her lunch, hadn't put much of a damper on the spending. She was working all the time, spending every day at the hospital, and he was funneling most of her paychecks down the drain. She knew it wasn't his fault for the most part. After his brother had chased him out of the family business he hadn't been too motivated. But that wasn't a good excuse. Not anymore.

The only thing he'd spent money on recently that she could endorse was a trip to a clinic. But even that seemed wasteful in her mind. She could take care of him well enough with her medical training. If it had been something more serious she could recommend a doctor. Either way, she could have diagnosed him.

Sighing, she tossed her expenses onto the living room table. This was getting out of hand and she was stopping it now. For a moment she thought of Kagome and wondered how she would handle this situation. While she was only a friend to Inuyasha he tended to listen to her more than anyone else. They had an interesting relationship and Kikyo was willing to admit it always made her a little uneasy. Inuyasha had told her a million times they were only friends, but at one time Kagome _had_ been her rival for his affections.

She quickly tossed those thoughts from her mind. They would do her no good in the conversation to come that was sure to become an argument. She would handle this her way and Inuyasha would listen to her.

–

Mihashira Tower

Daikaku didn't know what to do. This was the fifth report he'd read about the infection. His people had recently quarantined it in a small neighborhood in Tokyo. They had done it covertly, as everything his Usagi did was, so no one knew that it had happened. But the infection itself was proving to be tricky. He had the best scientists in the country, and even the world in some cases, and none of them could figure out what exactly had infected the area.

It might be a virus, or a new bacteria, or a parasite, or it might even be something they had never seen before. It was a mystery that spread through blood contact and sent victims into a mindless rage he'd never seen before. The strength victims showed was terrifying and unnatural. Even the weakest could tear a man apart with this infection coursing through their veins.

No one had been able to find a way to save the infected. No way to stop it once it had started taking a person over. Even their attempts at immunization had proved fruitless. It was a death sentence to contract this infection.

He tried not to think about any of his family getting this infection. He might only have his daughter and two grandchildren left, but he was unwilling to have any of them suffer under this disturbing infection. Last he had heard his daughter was in Okinawa visiting her sister-in-law, so she was more safe. However, his grandchildren were still in Tokyo. He should call them tonight, to make sure they were still okay.

With that thought he switched over to his email and opened a draft he'd been working on since the quarantine. It was a compilation of everything they'd learned about the infection, along with all the precautions suggested to use against infected individuals. It was a dark email and he didn't want to send it, but it needed to be ready. Just in case.

Adding the meager amount of new information they'd gathered to the draft he hoped this would be the last time he saw it. Of course, he had thought the same thing the last three times. He hoped he would get to delete it soon.

His door slammed open and one of his Usagi, a man named Goro, rushed in with a panicked look on his face. It was the only reason he allowed such an unprofessional entrance. It made his stomach churn in some way that was more than uncomfortable. He thought of his family again.

"There's been an incident in Akihabara. The infection was detected in a shopping center!"

Panic immediately coursed through him and it almost felt like an adrenaline rush. He abandoned his computer with orders rushing through his mind. If he worked fast they could contain the situation before it spread to the rest of Tokyo. Akihabara was far enough away from his grandchildren. He knew he could keep it away from them.

"We need to -"

Mihashira Tower shook suddenly, cutting him off. Rushing to a window he peered down to see some kind of gas pouring through the streets at the base of the tower. People inside the cloud were dropping like flies. It was horrifying to see so close to his headquarters, but he knew that the tower was safe. With bulletproof glass and doors that sealed the environment off when closed the only way in was through the ventilation system, and that was at the top of the tower.

"Lock down the tower. Now. Then contact Munakata-san and inform him to do the same with the SCEPTER4 barracks."

Goro ran from the room before he could even finish the sentence. Daikaku returned to his computer and the unsent email. Tacking on one last sentence, he hit the send button and frowned. He knew that she would be alright if she had the correct information. He hoped that she was watching her email right now. He tried to tell himself the same thing as he left the room to begin organizing efforts to quarantine the area. She would survive. He knew it.

After all, she was his granddaughter.

–

Gengo Office Complex

Kagome was working hard and studiously ignoring her phone when her email pinged. Her grandfather's name popped into the corner of the screen. It was somewhat rare for her to receive an email from her grandfather, especially considering he preferred phone calls, but it wasn't unheard of. Usually he wanted her opinion on something or he wanted to commission her for some translation work. She always thought it was adorable that he had a team of trained translators, but came to her for all his translation work.

With a giggle at her grandfather's hidden softness Kagome opened her email. Then she stopped dead upon reading the subject line.

Her phone emitted a high-pitched whine associated with emergencies.

Kagome felt her blood run cold.

READ NOW. STAY SAFE.


	2. September 6 (2)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

Day 0

Midori Dojo

Sango was closing her dojo for the day when the high pitched wail of the emergency signal filled the cavernous room. She fished her phone out of her back pocket to check the message and turn off the sound. While she expected it to be a test, as it usually was, her phone was flashing red and that was not normal for a test. A frown formed on her face as she tapped the screen to see the emergency message. It was from Timeless Palace. Kagome's grandfather had founded the organization to improve Japan after World War II.

"What the…?"

Looking towards Miroku, who had been waiting for her to close, Sango felt fear try to take root. Her fiancé only looked confused and a little concerned, but that was enough for her.

"An infection?" She questioned as her phone returned to normal. The emergency message persisted in a banner across the top of the screen.

"What does that mean?" Miroku asked her as he crossed the dojo to stand next to her. It was only a few seconds before both of their phones pinged again, this time for an incoming email. Sango opened it without hesitation.

"It's from Kagome." She told him while scanning the contents. It was a forwarded message from her grandfather. Each sentence only made Sango's earlier fear grow and her blood chill. Whatever had set off the emergency alert was connected to an infection in Akihabara. It killed victims by wearing the body down through excessive adrenaline, then reanimated it into something worse. Sango almost rolled her eyes. It sounded like a plot straight out of a movie, but it might be real. If it was real, and if Daikaku was telling the truth, these infected individuals were dangerous.

"Sango. We need to get back to the apartment, and get in contact with the others." Miroku told her while wrapping one of his hands around hers. It was comforting, like it always was, and calmed the panic rising into her throat. She could deal with this. She had Miroku with her and nothing had ever been impossible for them before.

"Yeah… Yeah. Okay. We need to make sure we get supplies on the way home if we can. Just in case. We might have to stay there for a while." She told Miroku, who only smiled at how quick she bounced back, though she would thank him for that. Going to grab her bag she noticed a bokken on the wall that she had used today for practice with a student. It was worn, the polish merging with the wood at the edges of scars from heavy use. Picking it up, she admired the weight like she did every time and felt some courage come back to her. If there were dangerous people out there, alive or dead, then she needed to be able to protect herself. Miroku noticed her action and picked up a bo staff she'd taught him to use some time ago. He looked uncomfortable with a weapon in his hands.

Sango slung her bag over one shoulder and went to look out the front windows. It was almost disturbing how calm it was on the street considering the news that they had received. This area had always been a little quiet, hence why she liked it, but this was too quiet. There were no people on the streets. If she focused enough she could hear faint shouting, but it had to be at least two blocks away. Her grip on the bokken tightened. She could feel Miroku standing behind her and she knew she had to move forward.

"Myoga-san's store might still be open." Miroku told her softly as she pushed one of the doors open with a gentle touch. It was noiseless. Sango looked both ways down the street, but didn't see anything. They were alone.

"Yeah, he might be. Stubborn enough. We need to get food and water, since that's what's most important right now. If you see anything else that might be useful, grab it last." She instructed him as they slipped out the door and started walking towards Myoga's convenience store. The owner may have been old, but he was rather tenacious when it came to his livelihood.

It was silent during their trip, but the closer they got to the store the more Sango noticed the little signs of what was happening. Doors hanging wide open, as if someone left in a hurry. Curtains closing as they walked by. Broken windows in abandoned stores. She could even see some people running down the street parallel to theirs when they passed alleyways. It appeared that the neighborhood was either locking itself up or had already left. It didn't surprise her that she'd missed most of it. With her last class of the day only having two students she'd been completely focused on them.

She prayed that Myoga hadn't locked up shop and left, even though she felt awful for it.

It only took about ten minutes to reach the intersection where Myoga's store was. When they turned the corner Sango had to stop herself from gasping. The windows had been busted, leaving glass shards scattered across the pavement. The lights were still on, but she didn't hear anything from where she was. Tensing up, she slowly made her way to the door with Miroku at her back.

It was a mess on the inside. Whoever had broken the windows had smashed a cooler of juice that had spread across the floor. The magazine rack was also knocked over, resting against one of the shelves filled with chips. Stepping carefully through shattered glass door Sango stopped for a second to listen. The only sound was the fizzling of the fluorescent bulbs overhead. Miroku walked around her to check the cashier area where Myoga always sat with his crosswords. She was perusing the destroyed store when Miroku caught her attention.

"Myoga-san!"

She spun to follow him only to see Myoga on the ground, collapsed in a corner of the cashier area. One hand pressing against his dark red abdomen. He weakly opened his eyes and a small smile touched his face.

"Sango-chan. Miroku-chan. It's good to see you lovebirds again." Myoga said with a gasping breath. It was the same way he always greeted them, no matter how long it had been since their last meeting, but the blood coating his lips made it darker than usual. Miroku placed a hand on the old man's forehead and frowned.

"What happened Myoga-san?" Miroku asked with a gentle tone as Sango looked out the front door to watch in case other people came by. Anyone else who came to harass Myoga would have her to deal with.

"Some idiots came in and demanded money and smokes. Told em' to get lost and they shot me." He explained in a whisper, a stark contrast to his harsh words. Sango looked over to see his eyelids fluttering with effort while Miroku did his usual EMT check. Looking around she found a first aid kit stashed under the counter and put down her bokken to pull it out. She went to hand it to Miroku, but he pushed it away and shook his head. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes for a moment, but got herself under control.

"Don't worry about me, kiddos. Not gonna make it anyway. Just...take what you need and tell that brat I was always proud of him, okay?" Myoga said as he took another shuddering breath. Miroku nodded and gripped the old man's free hand.

"We'll find him and let him know." Miroku said as she crouched down next to him. Myoga smiled. They stayed there, hidden behind the cashier counter, and watched an old friend take his last few breaths.

–

North ARK Offices

Totsuka stopped to catch his breath for a moment as the door closed. The sound echoed in the stairwell and he hoped no one was there to hear it. He'd barely been able to sneak past the crazed group that had been fighting in the lobby. His arms hurt and he carefully shifted his precious cargo to get the blood flowing through them again. Anna tightened her hold on his neck.

"It's alright Anna. We'll be alright." He told the little girl in a soothing manner before making his way up the stairs of the office building. They needed to find a place to hole up for a bit. It was absolute insanity outside.

When he'd first seen the fog creep around the streets towards the park he hadn't thought. He'd picked up Anna and ran in the opposite direction. Most people seemed to be trying to get home or hide in stores, but he had kept running. The bar was hours away on foot, especially with carrying Anna, and his apartment was even farther away. He had to find a place for them to stay, but with the panic he didn't want Anna being around other people. There was already looting, so who knew what else was happening. Only when he'd gotten weary of running did he stop to look around. There had been an office building nearby and he'd made a beeline for it.

Now he needed to find a level that was safe. As he walked up the stairs he stopped to peer through the door windows on each level. He decided on the fourth floor, mostly because the lights were out. Pushing the door open slowly he stopped to listen. It was silent. They couldn't even hear the group on the ground floor, and he hoped that was because of the distance. The only light for the level came from the floor to ceiling windows that stretched across the entire right side of the office and it was dim at best. Still, he was able to see that the level looked to be in the middle of some renovations as most of the cubicles were empty.

"Anna? I'm going to put you down, okay?" Totsuka told her. She nodded while untangling her arms from around his neck. He rolled his shoulders and shook his arms as Anna looked around the office. It was open for the most part, but there were a couple rooms closed off from the rest. One looked like it was a manager's office.

"Let's go over there." He whispered to Anna as he gestured towards the room. She nodded and follow him closely, on hand clenched tight in the hem of his shirt. The door was unlocked and when he pushed it open there wasn't a single squeak. Whoever worked in this office had most likely left when the emergency message went out. There were files scattered everywhere and behind them all stood a picture of a young man with a pretty girl. Totsuka hoped they had found each other.

Leading Anna in he set her on the rolling chair in front of the desk. There were two other doors in the office. One led to a small bathroom, with only a toilet and a sink. The other was an even smaller closet, but it had a few snacks, a pillow, and a blanket. This guy must have been a big shot despite being so young. Pulling out the pillow and the blanket Totsuka turned to set it up on the floor for Anna in a space farthest from the door. She watched him quietly and he wondered how she was dealing with this. She would tell Mikoto if he were here, but he doubted she'd be willing to tell him. She had only been living with them for a year and in that time had only opened up to their leader. Totsuka smiled and tried his best to seem cheery and positive.

"Okay. Anna, I'm going to go check the rest of this floor for anything we can use. Can you stay here?" He asked her. Anna nodded and pulled her feet up onto the chair. Totsuka tried not to frown at how quiet she was being, considering she wasn't ever a really chatty kid, but it was a bit concerning. Patting her on the head with a sigh he turned to leave and search the office.

It was difficult to see very far in the dim light, but with how crazy people were acting outside he was unwilling to turn on the overhead lights. No need to broadcast where they were. Luckily, as he was checking cubicles he found a tool bag with a small flashlight inside. There was a bigger one, but it would cast more light than made him comfortable. Using the flashlight he was able to find the break area tucked away in a corner near the stairwell door. There was only a small case of bottled water and a few small bags of chips in the cabinets. There was a vending machine, but without a key the only way to open it would be to break the window and that would be loud. He was going to have to go out tomorrow to find them more food and supplies.

He hoped Mikoto or Kusanagi found them soon. They would know what to do. He hoped this would all be over with soon. After all, it was Timeless Palace that had sent out the emergency message. They had to be working on it, right?

Hearing a crash and arguing coming from the stairwell Totsuka ducked behind a cubicle and clicked off the flashlight. Peeking around the edge of the cubicle wall he looked towards the manager's office where Anna was. He couldn't see her from where he was, but he hoped she wasn't scared. Averting his gaze to the stairwell entrance he watched it carefully. The arguing got closer and he watched as whoever it was ran past their floor. A second shadow following immediately after. They were both yelling something that he couldn't hear very well. He stayed in the cubicle for a few more minutes before going back to Anna. When he entered she wasn't in the seat, but hiding under the desk. Despite keeping her usual neutral expression he could tell she was scared, her hands trembling as she clutched her knees.

"It's okay, Anna. They passed us." He told her gently. She only pulled her knees closer to her chest. With a smile he collected the pillow and blanket and arranged them under the desk before turning on the little flashlight.

"Why don't you get some sleep?"

Anna moved to lay down and he covered her with the blanket. It was a bit thin, but her dress was thick enough that with both she should be warm for the night. She kept the flashlight next to her, the pale beam illuminating the underside of the desk. Totsuka made a mental note to look for batteries in the morning. Walking back to the door, he wondered if he should search the other levels right now while it was dark or wait until morning. Standing by the door he looked out the windows. He could see the sparkling lights of Tokyo that he had been fondly recording for the past two weeks. It was almost like nothing had changed.

Then a shadow passed over the windows, quickly followed by a faint, but sickening, thud.

Totsuka closed the door and tried not to cry.

–

Higurashi Shrine

It was getting late and Sota was getting nervous. It had been a few hours since he had heard from Kagome, and he had thought she would be here by now. Yata and Fushimi shifted on the couch and Sota was glad they were here. They'd been about to split at the arcade when the signal had gone out and he'd gotten his grandfather's message. Once his phone had returned to normal he'd immediately gotten a call from Kagome. In that moment it had calmed his rising panic.

'Sota. Go to the shrine. Stay in the house. Don't let anyone in.'

That's what she'd said. She sounded so calm in that moment and he knew she was already in survival mode. It made him feel better to know that his big sister was out there and she would find him. She'd survived stranger conditions before. He'd barely had time to tell her that Yata and Fushimi were with him before the call got dropped. He had tried to call her back, but hadn't been able to raise her again.

Still, it was Kagome. After everything she'd endured this would be easy. She would get to the shrine and when she did everything would be fine. She would know what to do.

He had to believe that.

With a sigh he looked over at Fushimi and Yata. They both seemed worn out and he could definitely sympathize. The arcade had been close to the shrine, but it had taken almost half an hour to get back and they had run the entire distance. While his grandfather's email had said there were infected individuals in the city they hadn't seen any. There were only regular people, but everyone was in a panic and more than one person had tried to stop them. It had been disturbing to see families running together, mothers and fathers keeping their children between them. It made him think of his mother in Okinawa.

He had tried to call her, but her cell phone had been out of range. Then they had called Yata's family who had gone to Hokkaido for a week long vacation. There hadn't been anything on that end. He and Yata had to convince Fushimi to call his mother, who had recently told her friends she had no son, but she had rejected the call. He hadn't seemed too bothered. They had both received several messages from other members of the gang they were a part of. He knew they were concerned for certain members of the group. The three of them had been nervously moving around the house for the past two hours in an attempt to call people they knew.

Sota sighed and rubbed his eyes to wake himself up. He'd never had a more tiring day in his entire life.

"You guys want something to drink?" He asked as he got up and made a beeline for the kitchen. Some tea would wake him up, or some coffee. He heard both of his friends follow him as he pulled out the coffee and tea, debating internally on which he wanted.

"Got any coffee?" Fushimi asked before looking through the cupboards, as was his way. Yata went straight for the fridge and started to pull out various ingredients.

"I'll make us something to eat." Yata said as he cleared a space on the counter and set up a cutting board and knife.

Suddenly the kitchen was filled with all kinds of sounds. Fushimi was opening a box of cookies, the cellophane crackling loudly. Sota flipping on the coffee brewer and listening to the water heat up. Yata mixing things together and turning on the stove. It felt right. Normal. It could have been a morning at Yata and Fushimi's apartment, and that made Sota smile.

This was much better than having the TV on. They'd turned it on earlier to watch the news and it had been nothing but chaos. Tokyo was the largest metropolis in the world and its entire population was going insane. There was already looting taking place, people attacking each other in the streets, homes being broken into. There were only two news stations still broadcasting and both had locked themselves up after their reporters in the field were attacked on air. They were lucky to be at the shrine. It had been closed when everything happened and no one was going to run to a shrine out in the open when things went to hell. There was nothing here to help them, as far as they knew.

Sota watched the coffee brew, slowly filling the small glass pot, and enjoyed the noise in his home. All he needed now was for Kagome to arrive and help them figure out what they should do. She'd want tea, though. She had always been a tea drinker, never coffee. With that thought he went to fill the kettle with water and put it on the stove.

"Ya think Kagome'll be back soon?" Yata asked as he let something simmer over the stove. It smelled good and Sota was glad that Kagome had gotten Yata his job as a part-time line cook at a fancy restaurant. He had always been the only one between the three of them that could cook anything vaguely edible, but his experience in an actual restaurant had made it better.

"Of course she will, idiot." Fushimi responded while pouring the coffee into three mugs. Yata turned away from the food with a frown, ready to yell at their friend. Sota tried not to sigh and was about to open his mouth and stop their budding fight when the trill of the landline filled the kitchen. Sota stared at the phone on the wall for a second, wondering if it was a fluke, when another ring echoed through the air. He was across the room and picking it up before the sound died.

"Kagome?!"

Some part of him knew, even as he shouted her name desperately into the receiver, that it wasn't her. Kagome wouldn't waste her time with a call if she was already on her way. Not to mention, she would try each of their cellphones first. Still, the voice that answered him was more than welcome.

"Sota? Where's Kagome?"

It was Sango. Dependable, tough Sango. If he ever lost Kagome he knew the first person he could go to was Sango. She was his sister's best friend and he would trust her with his life if she asked him. Having Sango around was like having a second big sister. It was good to hear from her.

"Sango? I-I'm glad you're alright. Where's Miroku?" Sota asked, knowing they had to be together. Yata and Fushimi abandoned their food to crowd around the phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear a bit so their could hear both sides of the conversation. They'd never met Sango or Miroku, but he had told them about his sister's childhood friends.

"Miroku's fine, he's with me. We're at our apartment right now. Where's Kagome?"

She sounded desperate, and he wished he could tell her good news. Sango and his sister cared for each other as if they were twins sometimes.

"I don't know. She called and told me to go to the shrine. She said not to let anyone in." He told her, once again thinking of his sister's orders. It was quiet on the other side and for a moment Sota thought he'd lost her. He heard a shuddering breath on the other side.

"Okay. We'll ju-zzzz." The sudden static crackled between them and made all three jump.

"Sango?! Are you there?!" Sota shouted into the phone, hoping that the interference would be temporary and abate quickly. All he heard on the other line was white noise before the dial tone picked up again. The call had been dropped.

"She okay?" Yata asked, still staring at the phone in his hand. Sota could only nod in response. Hanging up the phone he turned to his best friends. It was quiet again.

–

Iyashi Apartments

There was scratching at the door. Kikyo was a light sleeper, so she heard it first. To be honest, she was surprised that she had been able to fall asleep at all. After the emergency signal and Kagome's email she and Inuyasha had been on edge trying to figure out what they should do. Their area was a bit quiet, because it was an apartment block and a majority of the tenants were at work when it happened.

Looking over at Inuyasha she saw that he was out cold, his cast tapping the edge of the bed frame with every deep breath. His painkillers must have been strong to still be working. He had taken them before the signal to help with his wrist, and they had made him very sleepy. He snored softly and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. It was like any other morning.

A clicking noise echoed down the silent hallway to their bedroom and Kikyo froze. She knew that sound. That was sound of the door handle turning. Someone was coming into the apartment. Had she forgotten to lock it? Was she really that distracted? That tired? She had spent hours trying to call their friends and family and hadn't even bothered to lock the door? This wasn't a safe neighborhood anymore.

Keeping quiet, she tried to shake Inuyasha awake but it was no use. Unless she started yelling, which would surely call her unannounced visitor to their bedroom, her boyfriend was not going to be waking up anytime soon.

Shuffling off their bed as softly as she could, Kikyo found herself hoping it was someone trying to find a place to stay. With everything falling apart like it was she would try to find somewhere to stay hidden from it for a while too. Yet she still opened their closet to see if there was anything inside she could defend herself with. Unfortunately, Inuyasha's baseball bat must have been in the hall closet with the rest of his sports equipment for a change because she couldn't find it. The only thing she could find was her old bow from her time as captain of the archery team in high school, accompanied by a small quiver of arrows. The bow was hardly useful in such a cramped space as her apartment.

She picked up an arrow and frowned. It was old and she hadn't sharpened the tip in a long time. It was hardly an intimidating weapon meant to frighten off unwanted visitors, but it would keep them at bay at least. Maybe if she threatened to stab them with it they would leave her alone. She hoped that it didn't come to that.

There was shuffling in the living room, but nothing was being knocked over or broken. So the intruder wasn't looking for something specific? That ruled out looters. She hoped her original idea that they were looking for shelter was true. That had to be it. Right?

Gently opening the door to the hallway she poked her head out. She couldn't see the living room from here, so she couldn't see who was there and she wished that she could. It would give her a better idea of how to approach them. For a moment she considered calling out to them, but decided against it. What if they were dangerous? What if they had a weapon? The news had been nothing but atrocities being committed left and right.

Slipping through the small opening, Kikyo kept her back pressed against the wall as she crept down the hallway. She stopped halfway to the living room as she felt nervousness creep up on her. There was a reason she was a nurse. She wasn't a fighter, and she never had been. Her grip tightened on the arrow, keeping the point out in front of her. She thought of Inuyasha, asleep and vulnerable, and her resolve hardened.

She turned the corner to look into her living room and stopped in her tracks. Whatever she had been expecting to see, this wasn't it. Daikaku's email to Kagome had been helpful, but there was no way it could have even remotely prepared her for this.

The woman in her living room didn't look dead or infected, but she must have only been in the first stage of the infection. Daikaku had told Kagome it burned a body out through sheer adrenaline overload and unbridled rage, killing the person through exhaustion alone. Then it brought them back. This person in her home hadn't burned out yet. Her hair was pristine and her skin had the illusion of a healthy glow to it. The only things out of place were her blood stained hands and her coal black eyes.

Kikyo stared and the medical part of her brain supplied reasoning by dilated pupils. But another part of her, a religious part she hadn't listened to in a long time, said it was a demon. There was a demon in her living room.

She took a step back and the woman stilled unnaturally, not even a light sway in her body, before turning in a quick, jittery movement. Her limbs twitched oddly, almost too fast to see sometimes, and Kikyo felt fear wash over her.

In that moment the woman moved, far too fast for Kikyo to comprehend. Before she knew it she was laid out in the hallway with the woman hovering over her. Fear taking over, Kikyo let out a scream. In that moment it felt like everything slowed down to a crawl. The woman was trying to attack her, snapping her teeth audibly and attempting to scratch her through her sweater. Kikyo tried to push her away, but only managed to keep her at bay. Then, the woman reared back and opened her mouth unnaturally wide. Eyes widening in fear Kikyo pulled her arrow back up, holding it out in front of her face.

When the woman came rushing back to bite her the arrow immediately pierced her eye. It sunk in easily and because of the woman's strength there was enough force that it pushed through the socket and into the skull. Blood spattered her neck and Kikyo kept screaming and crying. The woman ceased her attack and collapsed, placing her entire body weight on the nurse she had tried to kill. With the woman no longer moving Kikyo went quiet.

"Kikyo?!" Inuyasha's yell carried through the apartment and Kikyo started breathing heavily. She pushed at the body on top of her and it barely moved. Her hands were shaking and the fletching of the arrow brushed gently against her cheek. Panic started to set in again that she was trapped, but then the body was hauled off her. Inuyasha pulled the woman away, one hand gripping the back of her blouse, and Kikyo was up and in the hallway bathroom before he even turned to face her. She closed the door immediately, pressing her body against the door and locking it.

Outside she could hear Inuyasha closing the front door with the corpse on the other side. Inside the bathroom she could only hear her labored, panicky breathing. The handle jiggled and for a moment she jumped and thought it was another one, but then there was a soft knocking on the door.

"Kikyo? Are you alright?" His voice sounded shaky and half awake and while it still gave her a measure of comfort to know he was there it hardly abated her fear. With her whole body shaking she turned the faucet and grabbed her custom first aid kit. Running her hands under the water she saw two long red cuts along her forearm. Blood oozed out of them and the water stung the wounds as she cried silently.

"Kikyo?"

She wasn't alright.

–

Nokori Hotel

He had never used a knife before. The handle felt strange in his hand and the blood on the blade's edge was disturbing to look at. It had saved his life, and Kusanagi's, more than once today, but he didn't like keeping it around. Mikoto had always ended fights using his own physical strength, and his hands were littered with scars to prove it. Still, he was willing to use the knife if it kept them alive long enough to find Anna and Totsuka.

Putting the knife down on the bed beside him Mikoto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Everything had been chaos since the emergency signal went out. He'd seen people stealing from stores, shoving others into danger, and even killing each other over nothing. Never in his life had he seen so many people running and screaming. Then there were the infected, running loose and killing everyone nearby. They would tear into people for no reason and splash blood all over the streets. Right now he could only hope that Totsuka and Anna were somewhere safe. He hoped they hadn't tried to go back to the bar.

Grabbing his phone Mikoto turned it on to check his messages, even though he knew nothing had changed. There were a few messages from members of HOMRA asking about him and the others. He'd told them all to keep an eye out for Totsuka and Anna, but hadn't heard anything from them after that. From the beginning they had been unable to contact Totsuka, but that hadn't stopped him from calling a couple dozen times. His friend wasn't even responding to text messages. As he scrolled through his messages he came to the one that had immediately followed the emergency signal.

Kagome's message.

Who would have thought that when the world ended she would be the one to save his life? Her message was a list of precautions and information about the infection. It had prepared him and Kusanagi more than he might be willing to admit. While it had been shocking to come across the infected the first time it was dulled by her information. It was surprisingly easy to kill them, even though they still appeared to be human, when he knew that he had Kagome's approval. He was never as glad that he had kept her number the morning after they met as he was today.

'Stay safe.'

It was tacked on at the end, but he knew it was genuine. That was simply the kind of person she was. Kagome was kind and thoughtful to everyone she met and had a smile that made you want to open up to her. It was because of her nature that he wondered if she was alright. There was something about her, something she had never shared with him, that lent her a hard edge and a spine of steel. She was observant and careful, but he wondered if that would be enough for her. She wasn't exactly a physically intimidating woman. It would be easy for the infected to overpower her.

'Are you safe?'

Mikoto typed out the message and hit send even though his signal was pitifully weak. A circle next to it spun merrily as his phone attempted to send his message and in the stark quiet of the room it almost seemed loud.

The door to the bathroom opened and steam poured out in the warm glow of the bathroom light. It made the room seem even darker than it already was. Kusanagi turned the light off and went to collapse on the other bed. They had been lucky to find this room for the night. Most of the doors in the hotel were closed and required a key card to open, but this one had been propped open by a stray luggage bag. The door was heavy and impossible for the infected to open with all the locks engaged, not that many had tried. Kusanagi had suggested keeping the lights off and being quiet to avoid drawing attention to themselves or the hotel.

"Heard anything?" Kusanagi asked as he checked his own phone before putting it on the nightstand. His keys were there too and Mikoto wondered why he was still carrying them around. They had abandoned the van not far from the bar. At first they had driven because the park was couple hours away, but with panicked crowds of people everywhere it had been difficult to move.

"Nothing." Mikoto said as he laid back on the bed to look at the ceiling. He could barely see the tiles from the limited lighting coming through the window from the stores outside. Most of it was likely automated or had been on all day. "Have you heard from your lieutenant?"

Kusanagi laid back on his bed quietly for a moment.

"No. But I know she's okay. She's Seri..." Kusanagi trailed off and Mikoto glanced over to see his friend staring out the window. He wondered what Kusanagi was thinking about. Mikoto knew the SCEPTER4 lieutenant had come to the bar before all this began and had seemed worried. For his friend's sake, he hoped she had gotten back to the barracks before the emergency signal had gone out.

Everything was quiet for a moment. Even the ambient noise of the city was missing after everyone had evacuated the area. It was unnerving, but it was much better than the screams from earlier.

"We'll find them, Mikoto." Kusanagi said suddenly, breaking the silence between them. Mikoto glanced over again, but his friend was fishing a cigarette out of his pack and clicking on his lighter. He tossed the pack onto Mikoto's bed, who immediately sat up to grab one before pulling out his own lighter. The flame lit up the area for a moment as he burned the end of the cigarette and inhaled deeply.

"Yeah..." Mikoto said as the tendrils of smoke curled around him. He hoped Totsuka and Anna were somewhere safe for the night. Tokyo was a dangerous city tonight, more so than usual. There was no telling whether or not either of them would know what to do in the situation. He had forwarded Kagome's message to Totsuka, but predictably there had been no response.

The atmosphere in the city was unnerving right now and he honestly wondered if he could sleep, even for a few hours. It was far too quiet for him.

The doorknob jiggled for a second and Mikoto's hand immediately wrapped around the handle of the knife. It was far too comfortable in his hand. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kusanagi catch his gaze and shake his head. It was difficult to put the knife down as he watched the door and tensed at the light scratching on the wood.

He definitely wasn't sleeping tonight.

–

Higurashi Shrine

The water was cold, but it would have to do. With her jacket sleeves pushed up to her elbows Kagome doused both arms in water. She scrubbed at her skin in an attempt to get the blood off. Warm water and soap would work better, but she didn't want to walk inside the house with blood covering her hands. She didn't need the boys seeing something like that.

"Kagome?"

The whisper made her jump for a moment before she recognized the voice.

"It's me, Fushimi." She told the teenager, turning a bit to see him standing in the halo of the patio light. She wasn't surprised that he was only one to hear her out here. It was a bit after midnight and she expected the three boys to be asleep. Fushimi had a blanket draped over his shoulders, but his eyes were alert. She smiled at the normal sight.

"Where have you been?" He asked as he left the safety of the light to stand next to her. He sounded almost accusatory and she tried to wash the blood off faster so he wouldn't see. Hopefully, the lack of light would work in her favor.

"Public transportation was down. I had to walk here." She said while rubbing her hands together to get some heat generated. There was only the blood left in her fingernails now, but it was difficult to remove without soap.

"Well get inside. You can wash your hands in there." Fushimi told her while nudging her with his foot. Kagome looked up, a little surprised that he knew what she was doing out here, and he nodded towards the door. She smiled, turned off the outside faucet, and grabbed her bag lying on the ground. "Yata made omurice for us. Yours is in the microwave."

He disappeared inside the house and Kagome followed him, relief flooding her system. Yata and Sota were asleep on the couch.

"Thanks, Fushimi." She told him as he closed the door behind them.

He only grumbled quietly to himself as she followed him into the kitchen.

–

Keibi Apartments

It was really dark and his daddy wasn't home yet. The door was locked like it was always supposed to be, but he could still hear strange sounds outside. Sometimes people came by and asked him to open the door, but he didn't recognize any of them so he hadn't answered. He'd tried calling his daddy, his teacher, and the neighbor, but no one had responded. He pulled out one of the prepackaged lunches his dad had gotten him and ate one when it had gotten late. The TV was on, but he had muted it a long time ago, not that it played much anymore.

With a whimper Shippo pulled the blanket and pillow off his bed and shoved them under it. He would be safe there.


	3. September 7 (1)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

SCEPTER4 Headquarters

His phone was ringing. Not the phone in his office. His personal phone. Munakata pulled the cell phone from his coat pocket in a heartbeat and closed the door to his office. When he looked at the caller id he tried not to be disappointed as he answered the unfamiliar number.

"This is Munakata Reisi. Who am I speaking to?" He asked as politely as he could manage considering the circumstances. He hadn't slept at all. Organizing and defending evacuation points, along with figuring out where to evacuate all the citizens to, had taken up all his time. He was lucky to have someone like Awashima under his command. She was a capable lieutenant and things might not have gone as smoothly as they were otherwise.

"Oh! Hi! Sorry, I didn't think I'd actually get through." The person on the other side, most likely a kid from how young he sounded, told him with excitement. He sounded like a teenager and was in danger if he was calling SCEPTER4. The only question was how the kid had gotten his personal number. "Oh, yeah. I'm Yashiro Isana."

The line went quiet and for a moment Munakata thought the call had gotten dropped. The kid was silent.

"Okay Isana-san. Can you tell me where you are?" Munakata asked, hoping he sounded more patient than he felt. It would do him no good to be short with someone in shock.

"Right. Sorry. This is all just…" Isana trailed off and Munakata found himself sympathizing with the kid despite his underlying irritation. The last few hours had been rough for him, and he could only imagine it was worse for kids. Still, he wished that Isana would get to the point. Calls were being dropped left and right, making long conversations a luxury. "I'm a student. At Ashinaka High School."

Ashinaka High School? Munakata froze for a moment as he looked at the map of the Tokyo Metropolis stretched across the wall behind his desk. His gaze zeroed in on the small island and he frowned. How had he forgotten about the school on the island? The island was the perfect place to evacuate to. But he'd been so focused on areas close to the barracks that he hadn't thought of evacuating so far away. He hadn't even spared a thought for Mihashira Tower, and his boss was there.

Then another thought struck him like lightning. Why was a student calling him?

"Isana-san, are there any teachers on the island?" Munakata asked as he retrieved a marker from his desk and circled the island. He put his phone on speaker and left it on his desk so he could trace possible routes to the island from the barracks.

"All the teachers left last night with the day students." Isana told him, voice a little shaky, and Munakata had to stop himself from snapping the marker in two. The teachers had left? There hadn't been an emergency call to the police department or SCEPTER4. Ashinaka had not been on the list of schools that had called in, or he would have already sent people there. As it was he had forgotten them.

"Okay. How many students are left on the island?" He asked as he circled the evacuation points where refugees were gathering. There had to be routes to the school from each point and they all had to be cleared for transportation. "Are all the students on the island safe?"

"Uh...there's only about thirty of us. I think." Isana told him, voice laced with uncertainty and nervousness. "We're kind of everywhere right now."

"You should try to gather everyone into the dorms. Are there any infected on the island?" Munakata asked while writing '30' next to the island. Statistics for the school floated through his mind and he realized it was only a fraction of the island's normal population. The phone went silent for a moment and he turned to check that the call hadn't ended. "Isana-san?"

"I don't...I don't think so. We haven't really gone around to check."

Munakata stared at his phone for a moment and wondered why the kid had hesitated when he answered. He found it impossible to believe that Isana had no knowledge of the infection. There were still two news stations reporting on the situation. His mind went to the reports Kokujoji had been sending him, and how the infection was transferred. Scratches and bites were lethal now. If anyone on the island even had the potential of infection they were going to have to be eliminated. They had to make the island secure for refugees.

Before he could further question Isana about the infection a harsh crackling sound came from his phone. He snatched it up and tried to reassure the teenager that he would help him.

"Keep all students in the dorms and only let in the team I send to you." He said before his phone beeped and a red circle spread across the screen to show that the call had ended. Munakata put it away as he opened his office door and waved Awashima over. She had a quick word with the person she'd been working with before walking over.

"Find Akiyama and have him gather a team. Then meet me in the conference room." He told his lieutenant as he dove back into the careful insanity of the barracks. Awashima disappeared immediately, looking more than a little worried. He wondered briefly if she had called her family yesterday.

Looking at the digital map of Tokyo on the wall, which was always being updated as new information came in, he noticed the population of the evacuation points had plateaued. There had been no noticeable changes. Unfortunately, all those points beyond his prefecture weren't reporting in. They were controlled by the Tokyo Police Department. Watching the map he regretted not being more forceful about the police department and SCEPTER4 creating unified communication systems. Either way, he could work around it.

"We've lost power in Taito Ward, residential district."

Munakata frowned as he watched the broadcast coming from Taito shut off and leave the screen blank. Power outages were happening more often now and it was only a matter of time before the entire metro area went dark. It was another reason he needed to establish the school island as a refugee center. The whole island had an independent power supply from solar energy. Not to mention the infected would only have one viable option to get there. All he would have to worry about was defending the bridge.

Watching his people work Munakata knew they could do it. Nothing would stop them.

Iyashi Apartments

Inuyasha unwrapped the bandage from his girlfriend's arm with care and tried not to wince at the sight. Her wound had stopped bleeding a couple hours ago, but she had insisted on changing her dressing. He assumed it was her prowess as a nurse that had kept the wound clean and uninfected, but it was still disgusting as hell. The two long rips in her otherwise unmarred arm were deep and the first time he saw it he was convinced he saw bone. Now they were closed with butterfly sutures, but it continued to be unnerving to look at.

He was used to seeing such wounds on himself, but it felt wrong to see it on Kikyo. Picking up a bottle of some cream with a name he couldn't pronounce he applied some to the edges of her cut.

"Make sure not to…" Kikyo told him, trailing off as she looked away from her arm stretched over his lap.

"Get any in the cut. I know." He told her, parroting her earlier instructions before the painkillers had set in. While he didn't know if they were too powerful, or maybe not powerful enough, he had given her a couple to help her sleep through the pain. His broken wrist paled in comparison to what she must be going through, so he was more than willing to give up his prescription. Grabbing the pad of gauze she had set out he placed it gently on her wound, watching her to make sure he wasn't hurting her. Next he was supposed to wrap her arm with an elastic bandage and it was going to be a pain in the ass with one hand incapable of movement.

"We need to check my temperature next." Kikyo told him as he awkwardly tried to wrap her arm. It was a slow process.

"I don't think we need to." Inuyasha replied, a little too quickly, as he affixed the metal clasps that would keep the bandage in place. Closing the first aid kit, a beast that only a nurse would own, he noticed that it was a bit empty. When was the last time Kikyo had been able to refill it? He hoped they didn't need anything from it soon.

"Inuyasha, we have to. A fever is one of the-"

"I think ya'd know if ya had a fever." He told her sharply, desperate not to think about the email that Kagome had sent both of them. After Kikyo's run-in, something he was still kicking himself for, he had taken a closer look at what the old man had sent his best friend. It had said a bite or a scratch was a sure way to get infected and there were very clear symptoms. Things like a fever, sudden appetite, unchecked aggression, and an influx of energy.

Despite this, Kikyo showed no obvious signs of infection. Even her injury appeared uninfected and healing, although he would have to take Kikyo's word for it. He couldn't tell regardless. Either way, she wasn't infected. He knew it.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice trailed off behind him and he took a deep breath before he turned to smile at his girlfriend. She was resting on the couch, the drugs rushing through her system making her lethargic. Some part of his mind whispered that the drugs could be keeping the symptoms from showing, but he refused to listen. This was Kikyo. He'd loved her since they were kids and he wasn't going to lose her to this.

Being careful not to hit her with his cast, Inuyasha looped his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer. Kikyo snuggled up against him and her eyes fluttered as he pulled a blanket over her.

"Maybe we should go to th' hospital. Yer' runnin' out of supplies." He remarked while running his free hand through her hair. It was a bit tangled and he was gentle as he straightened it out. He should run her a bath before they left or the water shut off. She always enjoyed soaking after a long day at the E.R. At this point he would do anything if it made her feel better.

He had been so scared when he heard her scream. Then he had gone into the hallway to see her lying beneath a dead body and that fear had turned into adrenaline. After tossing the body out of the apartment that fear had returned. He had wasted no time in getting back to Kikyo, but she had locked herself in the bathroom where he could barely hear her crying. Panic had flooded his system and all he could think about was that she might be hurt. The old man's email had come back to him in a rush, but he couldn't remember why it was bad. Kikyo's soft crying had scrambled his thoughts. He'd had half a mind to bust down the door if it meant he could figure out why she was crying.

It had taken a small voice, which always sounded like Kagome, telling him that was a bad idea for him to calm down. The last thing he needed to do was scare her anymore. But he hadn't known what to do. He still didn't know what to do.

With care Inuyasha pulled himself out of Kikyo's unconscious hold, keeping her head on a pillow and the blanket up around her shoulders. He went to check the door even though he knew it was still locked. Then he checked on how much food was in their kitchen, wishing he hadn't eaten out so much lately. There wasn't much left. His baseball bat was in the living room now, so at least he was ready to defend himself and Kikyo. Still, while he didn't know what to do he knew someone who would.

Grabbing his phone off the coffee table he made a beeline for the bathroom, pulling up his contacts as he went. It was easy to find Kagome's number and he called her up as he turned on the bath, trying to juggle his phone with his broken hand while he attempted to get the temperature right.

He was so focused on the water that it took him a while to realize his call wasn't going through.

Nokori Hotel

Kusanagi opened the door carefully, glad that it didn't squeak as he peered through the small opening. The hotel was eerily silent, but he had heard some shuffling in the hallway. It was the infected that had been outside their door last night. At the end of the hallway was a man, standing unnaturally still, with the morning sun casting his shadow far. He was facing away from the door, but if they made too much noise he knew the man would attack and viciously. Looking back at Mikoto he nodded his head towards the infected and opened the door a bit wider.

Unfortunately, there was only one weapon between the two of them and Mikoto was both quicker and stronger than him. While Kusanagi didn't want his best friend to be in such danger he also knew it was best for Mikoto to handle the fighting. He didn't seem to hesitate much despite their human appearance. Kusanagi wondered if it had anything to do with his mystery woman that had sent them information about the outbreak.

Mikoto slipped through the opening, knife clenched tightly in one hand, and moved down the hall. Kusanagi watched him in case anything bad happened. His friend moved quickly though, jamming the blade into the base of the infected man's skull, upwards into his brain. The man collapsed silently. Both waited for a moment to listen, just in case they had attracted any unwanted attention, but there was nothing.

Kusanagi flipped the door latch inside the room so it would keep the door open before he joined Mikoto in the hall. Without a key to the room they had to have some way to get back in once it got dark. It had taken a fair bit of convincing to get Mikoto to agree to return once night came, but they were safest staying in the room for now. The infected seemed to become more active at night.

"The park is about 30 minutes away on foot." Kusanagi said as he and Mikoto made their way to the stairs that would take them down to the lobby. He pulled out a map from their room, which only covered a few miles around the hotel, and looked it over again. The park barely showed at the edge. "We also need to get food and water."

"Let's check the kitchen." Mikoto told him as he opened the door to stairs, letting the ominous red glow of the emergency lights spill into the hallway. There was a slight echo in the stairwell, but all the sound came from them. Most people had left during the craze yesterday, so they were, for the most part, alone in this area of Tokyo. Yet, with the absence of living people the infected were starting to calm down, becoming quiet, and that made it harder to avoid them.

"Never hurts to check. There might be something." Kusanagi agreed, folding the map and putting it in his back pocket. With a hotel this large there was bound to be a huge kitchen. Looking into the stairwell he suddenly wished for a flashlight. The emergency lights were better than nothing, but only a little better. The red glow left more shadows than he was comfortable with. Mikoto went first, as he always did, and Kusanagi followed him after propping the door open. Just in case.

They were only a couple floors up, so it didn't take long to get back to the lobby. The front doors were shut and he couldn't see any infected from their spot in a back corner. He hoped that there weren't too many that had gotten inside during the insanity last night. The hotel had was being evacuated as they had arrived last night and there was evidence of it everywhere. Suitcases abandoned in every corner, chairs and tables overturned, and phones off the hook.

It was a stark difference from last night when there had been people in every corner. Some had been on their phones and others were dragging family members and possessions behind them. There had been a few that had looked at them, as if contemplating approaching them, before a glare from Mikoto had sent them scurrying away. Now there weren't even looters like the news had warned. They might have come in the night. Kusanagi hoped there was still food and water in the kitchen.

They passed by the business center and heard a bit of shuffling. The door was shut and when he gently tried the handle he found that it locked. Releasing a sigh of relief they both avoided the door and silently searched for the kitchen door. It was near the back, as expected, the door opened a fraction. When they entered the kitchen it was bright from the overhead lights. Everything was made of gleaming stainless steel and it looked spotless. It was the kind of kitchen you wanted your food to come from.

Except for the blood on the floor.

It smeared across the ground and disappeared around the large island that dominated most of the room. It wasn't until he noticed the blood that Kusanagi heard the soft, almost non-existent breathing. Looking at the mirror that was situated in a top corner of the room he was able to see around the island where the blood led. There was an infected lying on the other side of the island. From what he could see the legs were mangled, but that didn't mean it couldn't be mobile. He'd seen infected drag a leg snapped in two if there were uninfected people nearby.

Looking at Mikoto he pointed in the direction that would take his friend behind the infected and then went the other way. He saw Mikoto get into position out of the corner of his eye and took a deep breath. Turning around the island he whistled quietly to get the infected's attention. The effect was immediate. It lifted itself up as if it was overtaken by an adrenaline. It moved, but when it did it wasn't very fast, and the intent was clear. It wanted to kill him. Fortunately, it never got the chance. Mikoto planted his foot on its back and shoved his knife into its skull. The whole process felt like it took forever, but it was only a couple of seconds.

Kusanagi wondered if it was always going to feel that way.

Mikoto pulled the knife out with a loud squelching sound. There wasn't a lot of blood, but he cleaned it on a nearby towel anyway.

"Ugh. That almost makes me not want to eat." Kusanagi groaned as the infected gave a single twitch and then stilled. He had never been this close before.

"I'm still hungry." Mikoto told him as he started searching the cabinets, completely ignoring the now fresh corpse on the floor. Kusanagi shook his head and started looking for anything worth eating. There was no stopping Mikoto's black hole of a stomach it seemed.

It didn't take long to find some cans of salted nuts and a couple cases of bottled water. He made a mental note to look for a backpack while they were out. They would need to bring food and water with them as they ventured farther from the hotel.

"Mikoto." He called out across the kitchen. His friend turned, a package of premade rice cakes in hand. Kusanagi wanted to sigh at his poor choice, but decided to just toss him the can of peanuts instead. Mikoto caught the can and put aside his sweets, tearing into the can. Kusanagi threw him a bottle of water, and they both settled in to eat. They were both hungry and peanuts were definitely not enough, but they would deal with it. It was better than nothing.

They ate in silence and listened for any infected that may have heard them. It was still quiet.

L-Breath Sports Store

The knife whistled through the air before it found its target with a thick, wet impact. Fushimi's hand shook as he watched the man that had been attacking Kagome fall to the floor. There wasn't a lot of blood that he could see from where he was, but the knife was firmly planted into the back of the man's skull. He took a deep breath. Kagome was fixing her appearance and rubbing her abused neck tenderly. Yata was halfway through the sports section with a bat raised. Sota was making a beeline for his sister, leaving behind a pile of trail mix and jerky. Both appeared relieved.

They had thought the store was safe when they'd first entered and seen it torn apart. It was an outdoor sports store and most of the damage seemed to be random looting. Kagome had told them most of the items in the store would be useful for survival. Since the area seemed abandoned because of the evacuation they had split across the store. Fushimi wondered if that was such a good idea anymore.

Sota was fretting over his sister. She caught Fushimi's eye across the store and smiled, nodding a little. With her silent reassurance he returned to the collection of knives he had been looking at. He stashed a few of the sets into his nearly empty backpack. While his aim might not always be as dead on as it had been today it wouldn't hurt to have a weapon on hand. Kagome was the only one among them that had a legitimate weapon and she'd been using it with deadly efficiency.

Her specialty compound bow was a gift from her grandfather. It had a unique mechanism that allowed it to collapse into a compact form for storage and traveling. So far he hadn't seen it that way. The only thing she had been missing at the time was arrows, but she was still fierce with it. Now she had ammo for it. He was sure that made her even more deadly than before.

Fushimi had a feeling her bow would see a lot more action in the coming days.

Looking down into his backpack he tried to get back to his previous job. Inside there was a couple rolls of duct tape, two multi-tools, a flint and tinder variant, a small bottle of iodine, and a couple coils of paracord. He wasn't sure what he should be picking up right now. Kagome had told him to find anything he might think useful. These things were useful, right? They weren't going camping. The shrine was a suitable shelter and it still had electricity and running water. He could understand non-perishable food and weapons, but some stuff in the store seemed pointless to him. Kagome seemed so confident as she drifted from one section to another. How could she know what they needed in this situation?

While the situation was bad it wasn't the same as what she had endured before.

Turning to find the others he noticed that Sota had returned to his packets of dried food. Kagome was going through something in the expansive camping section. Yata was in the water sports section and he wasn't even going to pretend that he understood why. Making his way towards Kagome he tried very hard not to feel like a student who hadn't read the directions.

As he got closer he noticed Kagome was rummaging through freeze dried food, looking at the nutritional facts. He assumed it was an American brand, but the lack of Japanese hardly got in her way.

"Hey Fushimi. What's up?" Kagome asked as she stuffed her unnaturally large yellow backpack with food. It was a casual question, as if they were out shopping instead of looting. It wasn't too amazing that she was able to keep calm in the middle of all this. Kagome had always been like that.

"Just trying to figure out what's 'useful'." He told her as he crouched down to inspect some cans with the same label as the bagged food. While his English was very rusty he was able to make out a few words, so he knew there was food inside the cans. Without checking the labels too closely he tossed a few into his backpack.

"Well, think of it this way." She told him as she shoved something that looked like chicken into her backpack. "Electricity is the crux of our civilization. We require it for nearly everything to work. Even cooking and retrieving water uses electricity today."

Fushimi thought of his routines and found his answer.

"We need ways to get clean water, heat, light, and communication." He listed off as Kagome finished gathering the camping food and closed her backpack. She looked around the store before making her way towards the shoes.

"Sota's gathering food, and Yata is gathering water and purification methods." Kagome reminded him as she looked through various styles and sizes, putting a couple of boxes aside. He followed her example, putting down his still half-empty backpack to find his size.

"Heat is just a matter of wearing thicker clothing and using more blankets." Fushimi found himself explaining out loud, mostly for his own benefit. Taking off his tennis shoes he pulled on his new hiking boots. "If we need light it should have a renewable energy source, like solar."

Kagome gathered a few pairs of men's boots, most likely for Yata and Sota, and didn't respond to his musings. She allowed him to figure it out himself. After lacing up his boots he spied some thick, woolen socks and tossed a couple pairs in his backpack. While it was only September there were still some chilly days and soon it would get much colder. Better to get it now than have to look for it later. Kagome noticed his action, smiled, and copied it by grabbing some in her size.

"I guess you know what to look for then." She said as she rolled a pair of socks together and threw them across the store. The bundle pegged Sota right in the back of the head and brought his, and Yata's, attention to them. Kagome beckoned them over with a grin. Fushimi was about to make his way into the camping section when he finally noticed something about Kagome that he hadn't all day.

"You aren't wearing you jacket." He remarked as he eyed the open neck and short sleeves of her shirt. He was so used to her not wearing it around him and the others that he hadn't realized she'd left it at the shrine. It was strange to see her out in the open, in what used to be a public space, without it. Not that he was complaining.

"Yeah...I figured I didn't really need it." Kagome replied slowly, rubbing her neck self-consciously. Fushimi almost wished he'd never brought the subject up because it was making her uncomfortable, but the damage was done. He shrugged his backpack onto one shoulder.

"Good. I hated that shade of red anyway." He told her succinctly, turning towards where he'd seen some flashlights. It wasn't that he wanted to ignore the soft smile she was undoubtedly sending his way, but he knew that he would blush if he did. Yata and Sota would never let him forget it. He passed by his friends, becoming irritated when he saw their full to bursting packs, and made a beeline to the other side of the store. Why had Kagome given him such vague instructions?

It didn't take long to find some solar powered flashlights among the dozens on a wall display. There were even a couple of lanterns and he shoved all that he could into his backpack. He even grabbed some backup batteries. When he was done he looked around to find the others hovering over a map at the front. Kagome was pointing some things out when she caught his eye and waved him over.

He joined them as Kagome explained the route they were going to take back to the shrine. It avoided the evacuation points and was a bit out of the way, but he assumed that, like always, she knew what she was doing. He followed her out of the store without question.

South Business District

Miroku readjusted his grip on his weapon, trying to ignore how clammy his hands were. Some part of him wished that they had stayed at the apartment, but he knew that wasn't possible. Not after last night. It had been a miracle that they were able to get through to Sota, however briefly, before losing service. Sango had been grateful to hear from her best friend's brother, but not knowing where Kagome was had made her anxious. He shared her feelings, but was quick to remind his fiancee that Kagome had survived perilous conditions before.

Now he just had to remind himself of the same thing. He knew that Kagome was safe, but some part of his mind whispered that this was not Aokigahara.

Shaking his head to dispel such negative thought Miroku refocused on his surroundings. Considering they were out in the open he never should have let himself drift. Luckily, they weren't in too populated an area. At first they had thought to try one of the evacuation points, see if the police would be willing to help them, but had abandoned the idea. If Sota was at the shrine that's where Kagome would be.

"Wait." Sango whispered as she put a hand out to stop him. Her bokken was in a defensive position, the light of the morning sun warming the wood and revealing dark red stains along its length. The sight made his stomach turn. Sango had been doing most of the fighting and he wondered how it was affecting her. While they knew there was no way to save infected individuals right now they still appeared human.

"What is it Sango?" He breathed as quietly as he could. Sango poked her head around the corner of the building they were pressed against instead of answering him. Following her lead, glad that he was a whole head taller than her, he looked in the same direction. His grip on his weapon tightened.

There were dozens of infected crowding the street. They were all standing so still they appeared almost statue like. The only thing that betrayed them was the occasional twitch.

"We have to find a way around them." Sango murmured to herself as her gaze darted in all directions. Miroku knew that she was trying to come up with a plan, so he kept his gaze on the infected.

A sudden crash echoed in the alleyway behind them. Miroku spun around faster than he ever thought he could to see an infected man running at them. He barely had time to lift his weapon before it was only a couple feet away, but he swung as hard as he could. The staff hit the side of the man's head and force it to smack into the wall of the building. Its skull was sandwiched between the two and blood spattered against the brick. The infected immediately stopped struggling and collapsed.

It all happened so fast and he was staring at the blood on the wall and his weapon and his hands. He wondered what Mushin would have said. Before he could dwell on that thought Sango was grabbing one of his hands and dragging him in the direction their attacker had come from.

"What-" He didn't get another word out before Sango interrupted him.

"They heard." She hissed and pulled on his hand to make him run faster. He was sure his heart stopped in that moment. He didn't dare look behind him. Didn't want to. The pounding of feet on asphalt made it clear that they were being pursued. They rounded some corporate offices and Miroku took charge, pulling Sango into an alley between two of the taller buildings. Scanning the area, desperate for anything, he noticed a security door that was propped open. It didn't bode well, but it was their only option.

"There!" He shouted, undoubtedly bringing more attention to them, and pointed at the door. He pulled hard on Sango's hand to get her in front of him. She sprinted towards the door, several yards ahead of him in a few seconds. He watched her push the door open and slip inside. Relief flooded his system. At least she was safe. However, that relief was drowned by dread when he felt something yank on his backpack.

Without stopping, without thinking, he dropped his weapon and slid the backpack down his arms. He heard it drop to the ground as he dove into the building. Sango slammed the door shut behind him and engaged the emergency security lock as several bodies hit it. The whole door shuddered under the weight, but it didn't budge.

"That might not hold forever." Sango told him as she opened her backpack to look through the contents. It probably wasn't easy considering the dim lighting in the room that made more shadows than light. She made a frustrated noise and looked back at him. "Where's the flashlight?"

The question made Miroku freeze. There had only been one flashlight in their apartment and he'd put it in his backpack. Sango was doing most of the fighting, so he had decided to carry most of their stuff.

"Shit." He groaned as he looked at the door. The infected on the other side were more frenzied than before, as if sensing their desperation and fear. There was a powerful slam against the door that echoed in the cavernous space. Miroku flinched at the noise and stood up. Sango was frowning and worried her lower lip with her teeth.

"Let's not think about it." She said while slinging her own backpack onto her shoulders and letting it settle. Miroku followed her quietly into the heart of the small skyscraper they had taken refuge in. Guilt started to bloom in his chest as he thought of everything they had lost. That he had thrown away. Before he could think on it any longer Sango grabbed his hand. "It's fine. I'd rather have you than the backpack."

Miroku smiled down at Sango and squeezed her hand.

Keibi Apartments

He couldn't reach the kitchen sink without climbing on the counter, so he was washing his apple using the bathtub faucet. Shippo frowned as he watched the steady, yet slow, stream of water. It wasn't as much as last night and he hoped the water wasn't running out. He didn't even know if that was possible. That was something he'd never thought about. Just in case, he turned off the water.

Not waiting to dry the apple off he bit into it. It was still crisp and fresh and it made him happy to taste the sweetness. Apples were his favorite food ever. Normally his daddy would cut it in slices for him. Trying to ignore his father's continuing absence, Shippo went back to the living room of his apartment. His homework was scattered across the living room table and he settled between it and the couch. Taking another bite of his last apple he look at all his school work.

Maybe if he finished it his daddy would come home.

The television was off, because he couldn't watch it while doing his school work, but he didn't want it on. Mostly it was static aside from two news stations that repeated the same stuff every hour. It was scary and the noise made people try to open the door. So far, no one had been able to get inside and he wanted it to stay that way. So he stayed quiet.

Reaching for his small bottle of chocolate milk he took a few careful sips. There were only three bottles left. He frowned. There wasn't a lot of food in the kitchen, and he was supposed to go shopping with his daddy yesterday. Maybe that's why his daddy was taking so long. He was getting them food.

The phone rang without warning, echoing in the near silence, and it made him jump. Dropping his apple, Shippo ran for the landline on the kitchen counter. It rang three times while he clambered up a set of drawers and he was almost worried he'd miss it. In a panic he snatched up the phone and pressed the top part against his ear and shouted.

"Hello?!"

At first he only heard gentle static before a familiar voice responded.

"Shippo!"

Tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes at the sound of his father's voice.

"It's me daddy!" Shippo yelled while cradling the phone with both hands. He didn't care right now about being quiet. Static crackled across the phone and he frowned.

"...been tryin...door locked?" His father asked through the static. Only a couple of the words were clear, but the intended question was clear.

"I locked the door, but I can't hear you!" He told his daddy, hoping that his words went through. The static didn't go away.

"Listen...stay...apartment."

"I won't leave the apartment. I promise!" He replied as he sat on the counter and rested against the wall. The cabinets overhead brushed the top of his head.

"Don't...except me...Higurashi-sa…"

"What? I can't…" Shippo responded as he thought of his neighbor one floor up. He hadn't heard from her, and she hadn't stopped by the apartment, but he knew that she had a younger brother. They were probably together.

"Always...love you Sh…" His father's words were drowned out by the static noise, but the message was clear. It scared him.

"I love you too Daddy! I can't hear you! Daddy? Daddy?!" He shouted into the phone, panic growing. There was a sudden, sharp noise that was followed by the steady dial tone. He knew what that meant. The call was over. Shippo dropped the phone and pulled his knees up to his forehead with a whimper.

"Where are you?"

Akafudao

There wasn't much in the general store, but Totsuka made do. There were a couple bottles of water and two boxes of energy bars in his pilfered messenger bag. It was much better than nothing. Poking through the empty shelves he found a package of cookies and three cans of soup.

Looking down at his bag Totsuka tried not to frown. There wasn't much in it, but it was already full. Looking around the ransacked store he decided to look in the fresh food section. He could always put some fruit in one of those little plastic bags.

Attempting to be careful he snuck around the store. So far he hadn't encountered anyone else, but he was afraid others would be a bit crazy right now. It was the main reason he had left Anna in the office with the door to the manager's office locked.

As he got closer to the produce section he saw more evidence of the previous night's frenzy. There was food tossed everywhere, like the rest of the store, but there were also phones, wallets, and even a baby carrier. All deemed worthless by their owners. Doing his best to ignore it he looked around the area. There was even less fresh food than there had been preserved.

Still, he spied three small peaches on one of the stands. Looking into his messenger bag he decided against putting them in there. With everything else he had gathered they wouldn't survive if he had to run. They were too delicate. Looking around he found a small backpack on the ground. It had obviously belonged to a child from both the size and the girlish design. It was a scarlet color with a cute black bow on the front pocket. It couldn't be more fitting for Anna, so Totsuka picked it up and put the peaches inside.

Deciding he had scrounged up enough, and not wanting to leave Anna alone any longer than he had to, he made his way back to the front of the store. He made sure to pass by the batteries so he could grab some for Anna's little flashlight. Near the front of the store he stopped next to a small, untouched shelf. It was filled with small journals and cute pens. Without thinking he picked up those with more red than the others and carefully stashed them with the peaches. Anna might not talk, but maybe she would write.

As he was exiting the store he heard some shuffling near a register and stopped. Peering over he desperately hoped it wasn't someone dangerous. A kid, younger than Anna, poked his head out before he was pulled back just as quickly. An older girl, his sister most likely, peered over the edge of the register and watched him carefully. Totsuka bit the inside of his cheek and looked back at her, trying his best to appear as unthreatening as possible.

They had to be here for food. There was no other reason that made sense. He shifted in his spot as he thought about the few cans of food left on the shelves. He had left them for others, but it wasn't much. Still, he had to think about Anna.

Making a quick decision, he pulled two of the peaches out of the backpack and put them on the register closest to him. Without trying to engage the obviously frightened siblings he turned and left the store. It hurt more than he might admit to abandon others for the first time in his life.

Ashinaka High School

Shiro sighed as he looked at the collection of students in his dorm break room. It had taken a bit of effort to gather everyone from across the campus. Most of the others had been either hiding or trying to call their families. A few had been taking advantage of the chef's absence to grab food. Kuroh had even spotted some students leaving across the bridge. Shiro hoped they were okay in the city.

Swallowing thickly he tried to find some courage inside himself. He was lucky to have Kuroh and Neko on either side of him. They lent him a strength he didn't know he needed. These were his classmates.

"I've called SCEPTER4 using the principal's contacts and told them about the situation here." He said as loudly and as clearly as he could manage. Everyone started to whisper to each other and it became somewhat loud in short order. Kuroh frowned at the sudden volume, but Shiro only cleared his throat to get some attention back. "Munakata-san is going to send a squad here soon to help us."

The room erupted then and Shiro made no effort to quiet them.

North ARK Offices

Anna peeked out of the window in the manager's office before ducking away swiftly. There was someone in the office. They were acting strange, shuffling around and sniffing the air, and it scared her. She wished there was some way to tell Totsuka about the person, but he had lost his phone. She had a bad feeling about all this. Tucking herself under the desk she tried to ignore the sounds coming from the office.


	4. September 7 (2)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

North ARK Offices

Totsuka opened the door to the fourth floor with care, wanting to keep the noise he made to a minimum. There had been some people on the street that had acted strangely. They had been standing completely still, not even a light sway in their forms, and it had unnerved him. He'd never seen anyone act that way. Taking care, he had darted around them as quietly as he could manage. With luck none of the food he'd gathered had made noise that might attract attention.

Looking around the office he and Anna had claimed for the night he was grateful for the sunlight pouring through the windows. It was infinitely easier to see the area with so much light. Still, he was careful to keep away from the windows as much as he could.

Walking towards the manager's office, Totsuka smiled to himself. Despite how difficult the morning had been he had managed not only to find more food for himself and Anna, but also something for her. He looked down at the small backpack in his hand. He hoped she liked it.

Turning his attention back to the door he knocked on it a couple times in a rhythm he'd made up. She could see him through the office's window, but it was fun to think they'd have a secret code. Anna had even smiled a little when he'd shown it to her. However, when he got no response he looked at the window and froze.

Anna was staring at him with fear painted across her features. In the light reflection of the glass he saw someone moving up behind him. Fast.

Dropping his findings and turning Totsuka felt that same fear he'd seen on Anna well up inside him. The person before him had blood on their mouth. He barely had time to react, ducking beneath the man's grasp, as his attacker slammed into the wall. The force of the strike caused an unpleasant noise to ring in his ears as he darted around the man's legs.

He had to find a way to defend himself. He wasn't strong like Mikoto, so there was no way he could take this man in a fight, hand-to-hand. Ducking into the cubicle that had some tools he pulled out the flashlight he had ignored last night. It was one of those massive black flashlights that felt like it weighed a ton.

Before he could consider another impromptu weapon he heard footsteps at the cubicle opening. Without thinking he stood and swung the flashlight wildly with his eyes closed. It swept through nothing but air, but something swiftly latched onto his free hand. Pain shot up his arm. He opened his eyes to see the man was biting his hand, at the juncture between his thumb and index finger. Blood spurted from the open tear. It covered the man's face, adding to what was already there.

Totsuka felt a scream building in his throat that released as he pulled hard on his hand. The man's teeth kept a chunk of his hand, tearing the skin and muscle away, and it was the worst pain he'd ever felt. He took a step back, the man moved to follow him, and he remembered the flashlight in his hand.

Swinging it again he kept his eyes open, hoping that it helped his aim. The thick, heavy metal of the casing smashed into his attacker's head with such force that it caused him to topple. Totsuka edged back as the man fell into the pile of tools, face down. He didn't make another move.

He must have only stood there for a few minutes, but it felt like hours as he watched the man on the floor. Waiting for him to stand up again. Looking down at the flashlight he noticed the head of it was covered in blood and dropped it. Revulsion sparked through his system.

"Tatara?"

Anna's soft voice drew his attention immediately and he hid his hand behind his back. She was standing outside the cubicle, twisting her hands together. The body was between them and Totsuka moved in front of it to keep her from seeing what he was starting to suspect was a corpse. Using his uninjured hand he guided her away from the scene, both for her and for himself. He didn't want to look at the man again.

"Everything's fine, Anna." He reassured her as best he could, trying not to think about what he had done. A part of his mind whispered that it had been self defense, but that didn't lessen his guilt. Scooping up the backpack he had found for her Totsuka offered it to her with a smile. "I thought you might like this. The color's pretty, right?"

"You're hurt." Anna whispered, ignoring his outstretched hand. Her gaze drifted to the hand he was still hiding and the worry on her face grew. Totsuka's smile dulled. There was little he could hide from her, so he showed her his bleeding hand.

"It's fine, Anna. There are some medical supplies in the closet, so I can fix it up in no time!" He reassured her, picking up his other bag and ushering her into the manager's office. While he shut the door and locked it Anna started to rummage through the small closet they'd searched last night. Pain lanced up his arm and Totsuka sat down in the rolling chair by the desk and rested his hand on the surface.

The dark color of his blood was stark against the white desk as it trailed down his hand and pooled around his fingers. It was painful even looking at the torn edges of flesh. He was also sure he could see the edges of his finger bones where the bite had gone deeper. Before he could continue staring, on the verge of throwing up, Anna placed the small first aid kit on the desk. She was staring at his hand and the blood around it.

"Once I clean it, it won't look so bad." Totsuka told her as he stood again and stumbled into the tiny attached bathroom. He didn't close the door behind him, not wanting to concern Anna any more than he had already, and turned on the sink faucet. The water was pretty cold, but waiting didn't make it any warmer. When he put his hand under the spray it sent harsh shivers down his spine and the pain in his hand returned from the ache it had become. He ground his teeth together to try and keep any noises at bay. Once his hand was cleaner, and his wound far more visible, he returned to the desk.

Anna had already opened the kit and taken out a range of items. It was clear she didn't know where to start, so Totsuka sat down and pointed at the bottle of disinfectant.

"We need to use that first. It stings, so don't worry if I cringe a bit." He told her while placing his hand on the towel she'd spread out. The bleeding had slowed, but not stopped. When she sprayed the disinfectant on his hand he did more than cringe. He yelped at the sudden pain, twitching away from the bottle, and Anna looked up at him in shock. "I told you it stings. No worries."

After she finished disinfecting his hand he pointed to some pads of gauze. She held them against his wound while he carefully wrapped a bandage around his hand. It was a bit difficult with only one hand, but it wasn't unmanageable. Once they finished taking care of his wound Anna put away all the medical supplies. Totsuka grabbed the bags he'd used on his trip, hoping that with his hand taken care of she would focus on what he'd brought.

The pain in his hand had already dulled into an ache, and he was sure it would heal in no time.

Shinjuku Chuo Park

It took them far longer than thirty minutes to get to the park. Between dodging infected and scaring off other survivors Mikoto and Kusanagi had been forced to take a longer route than they'd intended. While Kusanagi had taken every detour with the patience of a saint, Mikoto had not. Every time there was something else standing in his way he got closer and closer to losing his temper. Anger and frustration were building in him and only Kusanagi's assurances that they were close kept him from lashing out.

It was right after noon that they arrived at the park. It was a large park, one that Anna favored, and it was enclosed on all sides by buildings at least ten stories high. This would be one of the only times during the day that there would be light over the entire park. Even now there were shadows creeping along the edge.

"We should start looking now before it gets dark." Kusanagi told him as they stopped along the path that wound around the park. From his vantage point he could see most of the park, but there were some parts that hid behind small crests in the landscape. On any other day he might have suggested they split up to cover more ground. This time that didn't seem like such a good idea, especially considering he was the only one with a weapon.

"Let's follow the path. Anna likes to walk the path." Mikoto responded, heading towards the area that was starting to darken first. He heard Kusanagi follow him and tightened his grip on his knife. He hadn't put it away since they'd left the hotel.

Following along the path was so easy he could have done it blindfolded. He'd lost count of how many times he'd brought Anna here for the day, even though she'd only been in their care for a year. It was her favorite place to go and most of HOMRA was willing to indulge her. Thinking of Anna, his thoughts naturally drifted towards her aunt.

Kushina Honami had been the nicest woman he had ever met, especially considering he had still been a kid at the time. High school hadn't been easy, his temper had been far more volatile at the time, and most teachers had avoided him. Except Honami. She had pushed and pushed, never letting him scare her away. Even after graduating she had continued to be a presence in his life.

When she had brought Anna into the bar he would admit he had gotten irritated with her. A bar wasn't a place you took a kid as young as her. But, like always, there was nothing that stopped Honami. She kept coming back, brining Anna along with her when she wasn't in the hospital. Honami had told him that Anna was the one who wanted to come back most of the time, so eventually he accepted it.

Then Honami had died.

Getting the news of her death had hit him hard. There weren't many people he considered himself close to, but Honami had been one of them. But, as Totsuka had pointed out, she wouldn't want anyone to wallow in her death. So he had picked himself up, gone to the funeral, and listened when her will was read. There wasn't much she had and it had all gone to Anna. Her will had even answered the issue of her now twice-orphaned niece. Honami requested, and that was strange enough to hear in a will, that Mikoto take over Anna's guardianship.

That had seemed like a colossal joke at the time, but it quickly became plain that it wasn't. Anna had even told him that it had been her decision. Honami had asked her where she wanted to go if anything happened to her and she'd chosen him.

"Mikoto." Kusanagi called to him, breaking his line of thought. Looking back, he noticed that his friend was a fair distance away. He must've been completely out of it, like usual, because he hadn't realized they were separated at all. He had to stop doing that. Being completely out of it could be a death sentence now.

"What?" He asked as he joined him near a bench. The path was wider to accommodate the small crepe stand on one side. There were all kinds of things littering the ground. Purses and shopping bags lay strewn across the dirt. He could only imagine what kind of chaos had occurred here.

Kusanagi was crouching next to the bench and he had something in his hands. As Mikoto got closer he noticed that it was a phone. Totsuka's phone. Kusanagi stood up and when he tapped the screen it barely flickered to life. There were hundreds of notifications on it. As they had assumed, Totsuka had lost his phone.

"Must have dropped it when it got crazy." Mikoto muttered, his eyes darting around to make sure there weren't any infected nearby. So far the park had been silent, enough that it was starting to seem suspicious. Even in sparsely populated areas there were always a couple of infected. A popular place like a park was sure to have more, but there was nothing.

"I doubt he would have gone too far away, not with Anna." Kusanagi said as he slipped the phone into his pocket. Once again he was keeping things that had no purpose anymore. Mikoto sighed, but didn't say anything as he looked around the park. Finding the phone hadn't been too helpful. It didn't tell them anything they didn't already know. It didn't even give them a good idea of which direction Totsuka and Anna had gone.

"He probably tried to go back to the bar." Mikoto responded, looking in the direction they had come from. Tokyo was such a huge city it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly where they had gone. Looking back over the gentle slopes of the park he noticed something at the top of one of the hills. It looked like a large black trash can, but there was what looked like an antenna coming out of it.

"Maybe he-" Kusanagi was cut off as a piercing shriek started echoing off the buildings around them. He clapped his hands over his ears. Mikoto cringed at the noise, but didn't close his eyes like he wanted to. The black thing on the hill now had flashing lights on it, so it wasn't difficult to guess where the noise was coming from. The noise continued only for a short while, then started to taper off.

It was quiet only for a moment.

Then crazed laughter started to bounce around them, followed by snarling and the pounding of feet. Someone had set up a trap and they'd walked into it without even realizing. It hadn't even been a full day and already people were trying to screw each other over. The sounds of the infected grew louder, coming from nearly every direction. Mikoto made a beeline for a street that seemed abandoned. He knew that Kusanagi was following him as he darted past alleys filled with dead bodies and infected. They had to get away from the center of the noise.

They reached an open street that would lead them back to the hotel, but there were dozens of infected crowding around something a couple blocks down. It didn't take long for the screaming to reach them as it became clear what they were so intent on. Between the writing bodies Mikoto was able to make out a couple of kids, a brother and a sister, attempting to beat back their attackers.

He tightened his grip on the knife. Kusanagi pulled his attention back just as he saw the brother collapse under the combined weight of three infected, placing a hand on his shoulder. His best friend only shook his head and gestured towards a smaller, abandoned street behind them.

It took more effort than he thought it would to turn away from the siblings and follow Kusanagi.

Tsudoi Office Complex

Sango rummaged through yet another break room, glad that the building was abandoned for the most part. There had been a couple infected on the third floor, but she had taken care of them. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the offices she and Miroku were ransacking. They'd found a backpack in the maintenance office, but little else. Even the break rooms seemed almost devoid of food and water. The only things they'd found had been stashed inside desks.

Opening the last cabinet she smiled at the three bottles of water tucked away in the back. They had someone's name written on them, the name underlined several times and followed by exclamation marks. Whoever Kise was, she was grateful for the water.

"Sorry buddy. We kinda need these." Sango whispered to herself as she gathered the three bottles and stuffed them into her backpack. Leaving the break room she made a beeline for the open vending machine across the way. As luck would have it they had found a key to the machines in the maintenance office, but most were either almost empty or had been busted open.

Sango tried not to think about the implications of that.

As she rounded some cubicles she saw Miroku putting half a dozen snacks into his pilfered backpack. He'd been feeling guilty about losing half their supplies outside the building, but she was just glad he was okay. Some vicious part of her mind whispered that he might be the only living person she knew anymore. She frowned and shook her head. That wasn't true. Kagome could make it, and so could Inuyasha. They were built for surviving crazy situations like this.

"Find anything?" Miroku asked her, startling her out of her dark thoughts. She nodded and grinned.

"Give thanks to Lord Kise for stashing some water in a low cupboard." She said as he closed his pack and hauled it onto one shoulder. His was still pitifully empty, while it had been difficult for her to get all the water into hers. Sango bit the inside of her lip and hoped there was more on the floors they hadn't searched.

"That's good. We'll need water more than food." He commented as they made their way to the stairwell they had been working up. It was dark in there, but the emergency lights made sure they didn't trip over their own feet. Miroku opened the door for her carefully and she went first, bokken held in front of her. "I just hope we find more medical supplies soon."

Sango moved up the stairs as silently as she could, barely letting her feet touch the floor, and smiled at his statement. The kit he'd had at home was only half full, a majority of which he tended to use on Inuyasha, and they hadn't found much to replace it. Miroku might have only been a part-time EMT, but he was the best at caring for wounds. Of course, she would admit to having a preference.

"There has to be something on one of the floors." She responded as they came up to another door. This one entered onto the seventh floor. Looking up she saw the stairs disappear into the darkness and tried not to sigh. There was no way they could look through all the floors in time. They had to get moving soon.

The way they'd entered was a no-go and much to their misfortune the front was also full of statue-still infected. There would be no getting out that way, but they had to leave soon. She wanted to get to the shrine tonight, but it was starting to look less and less like a possibility. Sango frowned as Miroku moved around her to open the door so she could be the first one in. Now that she was the only one with a weapon they had to change their tactics and move differently.

Entering the floor with care she looked around to see if any infected were there. At first there was nothing, then there was a muffled sound down one of the further hallways. Motioning forward with her chin, Sango moved down the hallway with Miroku at her back. He couldn't help her in a fight anymore, but his presence alone calmed her. Made it easier. They passed two hallways, branching off to each side, but there was no one there.

Sango moved slowly to the last crossroads, tightening her grip, as she heard another shuffle and some low voices. The infected didn't talk, did they? She hoped not. Before she could psych herself out, she spun around to the left and held her bokken out threateningly.

"Woah! Hi there!"

Sango was stunned for a moment, the exclamation so normal in any other situation, that it took her a second to realize the person talking had their hands in the air. As did one of his three companions. There were four young men standing in the hallway, and one of them had a bat raised over the glass cover of a vending machine. She snapped out of her stupor.

"Who are you?" Sango asked suspiciously, eyeing them as Miroku came to stand beside her. They were all dressed almost like street thugs. The one who had noticed her first even had thick chains draped around his neck. He was wearing a baseball cap with something emblazoned across it. HOMRA. It sounded familiar.

"Name's Shohei. This is Eric and Fujishima. The guy with the bat is Bando." Shohei told her, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. He seemed awfully upbeat for someone in his situation. Bando lowered his bat, angling his body in an aggressive move that Sango quickly picked up on. For half a heartbeat her mind warred with itself. On the one hand they seemed somewhat decent and they hadn't moved against her. On the other hand, they were strangers. They could be dangerous. She should end the threat right now.

Then Miroku placed a hand on her lower back, a comforting gesture, and the tension in her body withdrew immediately. She lowered her weapon.

"We didn't mean to frighten you. We're just looking for supplies." Miroku told them in the same gentle manner he used with patients. No one had better diplomatic skills than Miroku. Unless beautiful women were involved, that is.

"Same here, man. We're also looking for someone. Seen a little girl in a red dress or a scary-looking guy with red hair?" Shohei asked as he and Fujishima lowered their hands. Bando was still watching them suspiciously, but he had relaxed a bit. Sango tried to think back on the people they'd seen on the streets. No one matched the description, although she found herself thinking of Kagome's mystery man. She said he had red hair.

"I'm sorry, we haven't seen many people today." Miroku responded diplomatically, smiling as he did so. Having been on the other side of his charming personality, Sango wasn't surprised that his words put the other group at ease. Shohei and Fujishima walked closer to them and she forced herself to remain relaxed as they got closer.

SCEPTER4 Headquarters

Seri watched as the group Munakata had sent out a few hours ago came stumbling back in. She did a head count and realized one person was missing, but everyone was still grinning stupidly. It was easy to see why as they herded several small children through the gates. Losing a comrade must have hurt, but saving the children had lifted their spirits for now. She moved to meet them halfway, already figuring out where in the barracks the children could stay. There would have to be some moving around.

"Awashima-san!"

At her name the returning members straightened their stances and saluted her. With a single gesture she let them rest. The children were looking around with wide, frightened eyes. None of them appeared hurt, but they would have to go through a physical to make sure.

"Go inside and prepare your reports for the Captain. I'll take care of the kids." Seri ordered the group while internally adding the children to her daily schedule. The others looked at each other warily before leaving the children in her care and going inside. She could feel the stares of the children and looked down to see them all staring up at her with those wide eyes. She sighed.

"What are your names?" She asked as they all huddled together and moved closer to her. They all exchanged glances before the oldest, a girl, stepped up. Seri felt herself soften at the girl's strong stance.

"I'm Asagi. This is Roku, Dai, Shion, Moegi, and Ai. We're…" Asagi trailed off and looked away. The pain she was feeling was clear in her body language, as it was with the others. Whatever she was going to say, it hurt them all. Seri smiled at them as warmly as she could and gestured towards the SCEPTER4 barracks.

"Well then, let's get you all cleaned up and fed." She told them before walking towards the barracks without a second look back. After a moment of hesitation she heard the sound of small feet running to catch up to her. When they were nearly at the barracks a small hand slipped into her own and she looked down to see the youngest of the group, Ai. The child smiled up at her shyly.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Seri nodded with a small smile of her own and guided them into the barracks.

Ashinaka High School

Shiro stretched his arms over his head and yawned before settling back into his spot on the roof. The sun was starting to set and he wanted to see it happen, so he had been up here for half an hour. He had done this twice today already after his call to SCEPTER4 and Kuroh had disapproved each time. He didn't want to always be surrounded by the other students.

Some had taken his declaration that help was coming well and were staying in his dorm, but others had thought otherwise. Nearly half the remaining students didn't believe a word he said and had retreated to a dorm on the other side of campus. Shiro had split the supplies between the two groups, and he hadn't heard from them since.

Honestly, he was glad to have his friends with him. Kuroh and Neko had been by his side from the moment this had all started, and then they had found Kukuri, Sumika, and Mishina in the kitchens. They were all still in the dorm with him, and were quite fierce in their defense of him. His parents would be happy to know that he'd made such amazing friends.

Thoughts of his parents dulled his happy mood. He recalled the call he'd made before calling SCEPTER4. Surprisingly he had gotten through, but he'd only exchanged a few words with his father before he'd shouted and dropped the phone. The next eight minutes were pure torture as he listened to his parent's slow, painful death. He hadn't been able to hang up the phone despite the sick, crunching noises on the other end. The call had ended abruptly and he'd sat in silence as he registered what this meant.

He had no siblings, and his parents hadn't had any siblings. His grandparents on both sides had died years ago. He was well and truly alone, the last of his family.

Then Neko and Kuroh had come bursting into the room and snapped him out of his thoughts. He had only told Kuroh about the call, knowing it would be too much for someone like Neko, but talking about it hadn't helped all that much.

Looking out at the sun that was starting to set against the ocean that surrounded them he tried not to cry. He could feel heat in his cheeks that indicated his efforts were useless and he curled up tightly against his knees.

"Crying, are we?"

Shiro froze at the voice behind him, one he'd never heard before, and turned to see who it was. Shock ran through his system at the sight. It was a boy wearing the same uniform he was, but this boy was wearing a fox mask. In his hand was a kitchen knife. Shiro swallowed thickly at the sight and let his gaze trail back up to the mask.

"I just miss my parents." He told the other boy, slowly unfolding himself in case he needed to move. Nothing good was going to come of this. The other boy suddenly laughed, throwing his head back as if what he had said was a great punchline.

"Haven't heard that before." The other boy said, twirling the knife lazily in one hand as he raised it. Shiro's gaze darted to the knife and back to the unknown student, and in that time the other boy lunged forward. Shiro stumbled backwards as the boy swiped the knife at him, aiming for where his throat used to be. Backing up he felt the cold metal of the ventilation shaft against his legs. He wanted to turn around and climb over it, but he also didn't want to take his eyes off the boy.

As the boy lifted the knife to attack him again the door to the building opened and Kuroh came out. It didn't take long for him to see what was happening and he darted towards the boy in the fox mask. He was holding his sheathed sword, the only thing he had of his father, and lifted it to hit the fox boy.

"Kuroh!" Shiro shouted as his attacker dodged his friend's attempt and started running for the other side of the building. Kuroh moved to chase him, but Shiro grabbed his arm to stop him. The boy used the other entrance on the far side of the building and disappeared. Kuroh frowned and looked down at him.

"Why did you stop me?" Kuroh asked as he relaxed his stance, although his grip on his sword stayed. Shiro bit the inside of his lip and sagged beneath his friend's stare. Kuroh was such a straightforward person, and sometimes it was too much.

"I just don't want us to be fighting each other right now." Shiro whispered as he headed towards the door Kuroh had come through. It was still flung wide open and when he looked into the stairwell he saw Neko looking back up at him, worry etched into her features. It made his stomach clench to see her looking like that. Neko was usually smiling.

"He tried to kill you!" Kuroh shouted back at him, frustration lacing every word. Shiro flinched as he watched Neko's eyes widen at the statement. Looking away to avoid her gaze he noticed that the sun was starting to set and it cast a deep red glow across the water. In that moment, he thought it looked like blood.

North Hospital

Inuyasha gave the vending machine another hard shove and it toppled onto its side in front of the door to the lounge. There wasn't a lock on it, but it did swing inwards and he hoped the vending machine would be enough to stop anyone. The hospital was a madhouse right now and they had been lucky to find the lounge abandoned.

"How are we going to get out tomorrow, Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked from across the room where she was reorganizing her first aid kit. While running through the hospital they had stopped at a supply closet. Inuyasha hadn't the faintest idea what to grab, so he had watched the door while Kikyo threw stuff into her kit. Now she had to fix everything up.

"I'll just push it outta the way in the mornin'." He replied casually, throwing himself onto one of the nearby couches. There were a couple in the lounge, and some food, so it was as good a place as any to crash for the night. Kikyo gave him the same concerned look she usually did when he was hurt.

"You shouldn't push yourself right now. Your wrist is still healing." She chided him as she started to put everything back into her kit. Everything was in neat little piles. Inuyasha smiled at the sight. Kikyo was almost painfully organized.

"Ain't nothin'. I can do it." He said as he continued to watch her work. It always amazed him to see her in her element. It must have been nice to have a passion, to know what you wanted to do. All he'd ever had was his share of his father's company and even there he hadn't been too useful. Much as it pissed him off, it made sense that Sesshomaru had run him out. His brother was made for that kind of life. He wasn't.

"I just don't want you to strain your injury." Kikyo told him as she put away a large stack of sealed gauze. She froze when someone slammed against the door he had barred and he jumped up from the couch. They both watched the door, waiting for whoever it was to try again, but they didn't.

Faint scraping noises came through for a moment as someone passed the door, but it faded quickly. Inuyasha looked over at Kikyo. She was gripping a brown bottle in one hand while watching the door intently. Even from here he could see her shivering. Unbidden, his gaze dropped to her arm that was still wrapped up from earlier. She hadn't complained of any pain on the way to the hospital, and he hadn't thought about her attack since.

"Kikyo…" Saying her name broke her from her daze because she looked at him and relaxed her grip on the bottle. She looked back down at her neat piles of medical supplies and took in a deep breath. Inuyasha frowned and walked over to her. "Let's rest for a while, 'kay?"

"I should finish putting this away." Kikyo told him, shaking her head as she put away the bottle in her hand and the other two like it on the table. She moved slower than before, taking her time to put each item exactly where it was supposed to go. Inuyasha leaned against the table next to her and didn't say anything.

It took her ten minutes to put everything away, but when she shut the kit and flipped the latch Inuyasha stood up. Kikyo kept her hands on the kit, but he could see her eyes trailing over to her injured arm. He didn't know what to do in this situation. Normally he would have asked Kagome about it, but she wasn't available right now. Without thinking he put a hand on Kikyo's and she looked up at him.

"Ready to get some sleep?" Inuyasha asked, but Kikyo pulled her hand away from him. Her gaze fell on the cabinets that lined the far corner and the fridge where people could put their lunch. She made a beeline for the fridge.

"We should eat something now while we have the chance." Kikyo told him while opening the fridge to see what was inside. There were a couple salads and some leftovers in plastic containers. She pulled out several of each and placed them all on the kitchen counter. Inuyasha felt his stomach rumble at the sight of all the food, but he still frowned as he joined her.

"Okay, but we gotta get to sleep soon if we wanna get movin' early." He stressed to her, picking up what looked like something homemade, yet unidentifiable as anything he'd eaten before. He opened it and took a sniff and it smelled pleasant enough so he picked some up with his fingers and ate it. Turning to look at Kikyo he was surprised to see her not eating anything. She was clutching a salad and her gaze kept drifting over to the barred door. Swallowing his food he nudge Kikyo gently.

"You okay? Yer not eatin' anythin'." He asked and waited for her to answer, but she only nodded and opened up the salad she was holding. As she began searching the drawers for a fork Inuyasha finished off the leftovers and searched for something else to eat. "We need ta' set an alarm on one of our phones so we wake up in time."

Kikyo froze at his statement for a moment before she returned to searching for a fork.

"Inuyasha. What if…" She trailed off, staring into one of the drawers she had opened, and realization struck him like lightning. She didn't want to go to sleep. Back at the apartment she had passed out, but that was because of the painkillers he had given her. Was she so scared of a repeat of her attack that she was going to refuse to sleep? Inuyasha frowned and put down his food.

"Kikyo, I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to you ever again." He told her firmly, hoping his sincerity was coming across. Kagome had told him a million times that he usually sounded like a jerk when he was trying to be comforting. Kikyo looked up at him then, eyes full of the vulnerability she only ever revealed to him. She was normally so composed and collected, but when something bothered her he was the one she told. He was the only one allowed to see her in a weak position.

"You promise?"

Keibi Apartments

Someone was scratching at the door. Shippo pulled himself into a ball beneath his bed and whimpered. The apartment was so quiet he could hear everything all the way to the front door. The light scratching was echoing down the hallway gently and into his room.

"Is anyone there?"

The voice that called to him from the other side of the door was velvety smooth, but it set him on edge. There was something not right about whoever was on the other side of the door.

"Hello?"

The voice called to him sweetly, like a person calling for their pet, and he pushed himself into the corner. Whoever this was, they were not a good person. He could tell from they way they talked and the things they said.

"Kagome?"

Shippo froze as the voice uttered his neighbor's name. How did this person know Kagome-san? For a second he wondered if maybe they were friends, but Kagome always seemed so gentle and kind. This person sounded the exact opposite. There was no way they were friends. Also, why wouldn't he be at Kagome's apartment? That made more sense.

"If you're in there, come out."

While it might have sounded like a plead coming from anyone else it sounded far different coming from this person. More like a demand, maybe even a threat. Shippo whimpered again and pulled his blanket over his head. He had to ignore that voice, that person outside.

The light scratching returned and it was a long time before it stopped.

Higurashi Shrine

Kagome sighed in bliss, happy beyond belief that there was still hot water at the shrine. She knew that the city was slowly shutting down, so she was going to take advantage of this while she could. There likely wouldn't be many hot baths in her future for a while. As she lay soaking she let her mind wander.

It had only been one day and already the city was falling apart. Getting from her office to the shrine had taken far longer than she'd wanted to, but without her bow she hadn't had too many options to defend herself. Naturally, she had been in highly populated areas and it hadn't been only the infected that attacked her. That was her luck.

Now that she had met up with Sota, Yata, and Fushimi she found herself unwilling to leave them alone. Sometimes she had to remind herself that they were adults and capable of taking care of themselves. But the world had changed and while she wasn't about to claim she knew everything she did have some experience with survival.

The sound of bickering broke her train of thought and she looked at the door. She could just make out the sounds of Fushimi egging Yata on. No doubt Sota was in the middle of it making an effort to stop the fight. One would think the end of civilization would make them want to fight less, but obviously that wasn't the case. At least they weren't fighting _more_.

"Well, I guess that's the end of my bath." Kagome told herself as she got up and toweled herself off. Once she had her hair wrapped up she slipped on the sweatpants and shirt she'd had in her tote bag at the office. Aside from what she'd been able to pick up at the sports store they were her only clothes. The shirt was way too big on her, but it was comforting right now. She brushed a hand against the fabric and smiled. Mikoto had let her use it after some idiot at a bar covered hers in sake. She had intended to give it back to him last night, before her revelation on her new feelings, and now she was glad she still had it.

She hoped he was safe.

The argument in the living room escalated, and Kagome sighed before throwing her still wet hair into a ponytail. Making her way into the living room she came upon a familiar sight that made her smile despite the circumstances. Fushimi was teasing Yata about something, she didn't even know what, and Sota was going back and forth between them defending both to each other.

When Sota had first befriended the two boys she'd been worried by how often they would get into fights. Now it was commonplace. She knew that their fights could range from petty topics, like which fighting game was the best, to more serious ones, like Fushimi's decision to take the test for SCEPTER4. This time it seemed like it was one of the less serious topics, much to her relief. Yata and Fushimi wouldn't need to resolve any hurt feelings after it.

"What's all the ruckus about?" She asked as she leaned against the door frame and watched the three boys turn to look at her. While their dynamic worked well, all three of them making up for each other weaknesses, sometimes they needed some outside interference. She'd stopped more than one argument by walking into the room. Yata and Fushimi both opened their mouths, clearly about argue their own sides, when Sota placed a hand over each of their mouths.

"Nothing important!" He told her, voice pitched a touch higher than normal. Kagome raised an eyebrow at his declaration, but accepted that whatever the argument had been about it must have been embarrassing. Shaking her head she made her way into the kitchen to start heating up some water. A cup of tea would be nice before settling in for the night.

"Kagome…" Looking up from the kettle she was a bit surprised to see all three boys staring at her quite intently. Yata seemed the most suspicious.

"Yes?"

"Is that a man's shirt?" Yata asked in his usual tact-free manner. For a moment the question threw her. Why did her shirt matter? Then Kagome froze, realizing what they had been arguing about earlier. Where was her phone?

"You little snoops." She ground out, glaring at the boys. They all backed away, no small amount of fear in their eyes, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Kagome felt a growl crawl up her throat and advanced on the boys.

"We were just curious, sis." Sota defended, being the most used to her temper. Always the first to recover, Fushimi followed him, scoffing and looking off to the side.

"You mean Yata was curious." He said, throwing his friend under the bus without hesitation. Kagome glowered at all three of them, because it had to be a three person job breaking into her phone, but made sure to give Yata extra attention. Impressively enough, he only quavered a little beneath her demonic stare.

"Damnit Saruhiko!"

"It _was_ your idea, Yata."

"Yeah, Mi-sa-ki." Fushimi teased, feeding off the small amount of backup Sota had provided him. Of course, calling Yata by his given name only struck the spark of his temper and Fushimi knew it. In a matter of seconds all three had forgotten that she was standing there, absolutely incensed over their breach of her privacy. After only a minute of hearing taunts and threats being bounced around the room she'd had it.

"That enough!" Kagome yelled, her volume easily reaching over theirs. All three quieted and looked back at her with wide eyes, as if suddenly realizing how mad she was. "You're going to tell me exactly what you looked at in my phone or you're gonna need-"

Her threat never finished as the house phone rang. Kagome wasted no time, her anger dissipating like mist on a warm day, and snatched it up.

"Hello? Sango? Is that you?" She asked, remembering what Sota had told her about her best friend's call.

"Kagome? Oh dear, I'm so glad I was able to get through."

"Mom?"


	5. September 8 (1)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

I've decided to get rid of my former update schedule because I think it was hurting my writing more than helping it. So this chapter is really late, but I did spend a lot of time on it. That said, I am going to do some revision for chapters three and four before I get started on chapter six. Thanks for reading!

Ashinaka High School

Shiro sighed and rubbed his forehead in an attempt to get rid of the ache that had formed there. He had only been awake for half an hour and already Kuroh and Neko were both demanding his attention. It was draining, having one on each side backing their own side of an argument he never even wanted to have.

After Neko had heard about his close encounter on the roof neither had left him alone. He'd spent the night sandwiched between his best friends. It hadn't been the most comfortable place to sleep, but they had refused to leave. Now they were trying to pull him in two different directions from this new problem.

Kuroh wanted to kill the boy that had made an attempt on his life so that it wouldn't happen again.

Neko wanted to run away into the city with Kukuri and the others and leave the homicidal schoolboy behind.

Neither option appealed to Shiro right now and it wasn't helping that both were yelling at each other.

"Running away will accomplish nothing!"

"Except that Shiro will be safe!"

"How safe can we really be in the city?!" Kuroh yelled, more than a little fed up with Neko's stubborn nature. Shiro wondered if either of them realized just how similar they really were. He watched both get in each other's face, screaming their own rationalizations and opinions. While this was a fairly typical occurrence this was the first time the topic was so grim.

"We'll be away from the crazy kid with a kitchen knife!" Neko shouted right back, not backing down in the slightest. Her fists were balled tightly as she glared up at Kuroh. Shiro watched the tension between them grow and decided now was the best time to step between them. They had been arguing for so long he knew both wanted to stop even if they would never admit it.

"We need to stay on the island and wait for SCEPTER4 to get here," Shiro told them both, breaking the tension between them. Kuroh looked smug at his decision and Shiro sighed. "But we shouldn't go after this kid. He's probably just scared."

"Scared is not what I saw." Kuroh bit out as Neko collapsed onto a plush chair with a sigh. There was already a pout forming on her face, no doubt because her suggestion was ignored.

"Everyone shows fear in a different way." Shiro defended, internally praying he was right. It had been bad enough to be attacked. It would be worse if he knew that it was premeditated. "Our best course of action is to find out who he was and keep an eye on him."

"How are we going to do that, Shiro?" Neko asked him while rolling around in her chair. While she didn't know her real name the one she had chosen was appropriate. She watched him with her wide, mismatched eyes and once again he regretted her ever getting involved in this. Neko wasn't completely naive, but her innocence was obvious. This was hurting her in a way that it didn't for Kuroh.

"In case you forgot already, he was wearing a mask." Kuroh reminded him, arms crossed over his chest. Kotowari was gripped firmly in one hand, as it had been since this whole thing started. The sword was his only inheritance from his father and he was effective with it. Shiro just hoped he wouldn't have to prove how effective he was.

"Then we should check the security cameras. He can't have always been wearing it." Shiro reasoned as he attempted to remember his attacker's voice. It wasn't one he recognized, but then he didn't know all the students at the school. Ashinaka might have been a prestigious school, but it was also large. There was no way to know every student that he came across by their voice alone. "We can check the school's registry to find him."

Neko and Kuroh were silent as they each considered his tactic. As was usual, he stood between them. Unwilling to run away from his problems, but also unwilling to fight them. He watched his problems.

"It could work. I'll talk to Mishina-san." Kuroh stated while standing, his new purpose straightening his spine. He was still frowning, so Shiro knew that he wasn't fond of their new mission. Shiro bit the inside of his lip.

He hoped Kuroh didn't do anything rash.

FamilyMart Convenience Store

The convenience store wasn't too well stocked anymore, but she expected that at this point. Sango looked through the toppled boxes, picking her way through the broken glass, just in case there was anything useful. Around her, she could hear her new travel companions looking for supplies as well.

Normally she might not have agreed to have four strangers follow her and Miroku around, but they had proved trustworthy through the night. None of them had been able to find a safe way to leave before it got dark, so they'd had to stay. Shohei and his friends had stayed with them on the ninth floor through the night, sharing everything they had gathered on the lower floors. Sango had decided they couldn't be that bad if they were willing to share.

When day had come they had all decided to stick together for now. Better to have more eyes watching for infected, especially since Bando and Fujishima both had weapons to defend themselves. It was much easier to protect herself and Miroku when she knew there were others doing the same thing.

The four of them reminded her of Kohaku at times, but the personalities were too different. Her brother was such a kind, soft-spoken boy. She could never imagine him in a gang like these boys were. Thinking of her brother up in Hokkaido she hoped this infection was only in Tokyo.

"Damn. There's nothing here!" Bando grumbled to himself as he sorted through a mess of refrigerated food that had gone bad. He made a gagging noise as he pushed aside some sandwiches that were well past their sell-by date. Sango supposed not every convenience store was going to be as well cared for as Myoga's had been. Thoughts of the elderly man caused a frown to pull at her lips and she looked to Miroku to see him looking similarly down. No doubt because of the same subject.

"It just means we'll have to move on," Miroku said as he finished poking around behind the cash register. Most of what he found seemed to be useless, just like everything else. Once he was done putting his stuff away he pulled out a map of the area. It only covered a couple of the wards, but it was enough. Sango glanced at it to see that it stretched to the shrine, giving them a clear view of the many routes they could take.

"You guys are heading to a shrine, right?" Fujishima asked as he came up to look at the map. The other three were still looking through the mess on the floor. Miroku pulled out a red marker from behind the cash register and marked the shrine with a big X.

"Yes. That's our destination. Where are you four going?" He questioned while marking another X where they were. Sango frowned. There was so much distance to cover if they wanted to get to the shrine by nightfall. It might not even be possible. She bit her lip and glanced over at Miroku, who looked similarly troubled.

"The only lead we have on Anna and the others is a park. It's past the shrine a bit, so we'll stick with you until then." Fujishima explained, pointing out a park that was just barely represented at the edge of the map. Miroku made another X, even though there was only a sliver of green to mark. He continued to look at the map, and Sango was glad that he had such great directional awareness. With Miroku, she could never get lost, even in a city as large as Tokyo.

"What's wrong?"

Sango nearly jumped at Eric's sudden appearance and looked up to see that he, Bando, and Shohei had joined them. They all looked upset at their lack of finds. She hoped they were able to find something in another store soon.

"I was just thinking… Sango?" Miroku drew her attention back towards the map where he tapping a rather large business district halfway to the shrine. She read the name and realized where he was going with this.

"That's where Sesshomaru's building is," Sango stated as Miroku circled the northern section of the district. They had both been to the building more than once while growing up, so they knew exactly where it was. The only one among their group of friends that had been there more recently was Kagome, and that was only because of her job. Ever since the epic falling out between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha they had all avoided the area.

"I was thinking that we might want to stop there for the night. I doubt we can reach the shrine before it gets dark and we need a safe place to stay." Miroku explained as he folded up the map so that their current location was in one corner and Sesshomaru's building was in another. It still seemed like such a long distance, especially because they had to walk.

"You think we'll be able to get in?" Sango asked as Miroku used a different marker to trace paths he knew to the building. There had to be several, considering they were likely going to have to detour around infected. She still wanted to press on to the shrine, but she would concede that they needed this kind of backup plan. They would just have to see how far they could get.

"Sesshomaru isn't so heartless that he would cast us out," Miroku remarked before Shohei cleared his throat loudly, reminding the couple that they were the only ones who knew Sesshomaru out of the group. Sango flushed a little with embarrassment at how easily she had forgotten the boys were there.

"Uh, who's this Sesshomaru guy?" Shohei asked once he had their attention back. To his credit, Miroku didn't seem at all bothered that they had blatantly ignored their new traveling companions. Sango reminded herself that it was because Miroku had always been a con-man, so his poker face was excellent.

"He's the older brother of a friend of ours. His office building is on the way to the shrine." Sango explained as Miroku folded the map twice to slide it into his back pocket. The four boys looked at each other, doubt clearly written on each of their faces.

"You really think he'd be there?" Eric asked as they waited for Miroku to throw a few things in his backpack and close it. If they were talking about anyone else, Sango would have wondered the same thing. But Sesshomaru lived for his work, so he was likely using the building as a base.

"Sesshomaru wouldn't give up his building even if everything around him was on fire." She commented flatly, thinking back on the last time she saw Sesshomaru. He was stubborn to a fault, one of the few similarities he had with Inuyasha, so there was no doubt where he was.

"The only person we know more adept at survival is Kagome-chan, and she has unique circumstances," Miroku told them while Sango went to poke her head out the door. There were no infected around and she turned back to gesture them forwards. The boys still looked unsure, but when she and Miroku set their route towards the business district they followed without complaint.

North ARK Offices

Anna didn't know what to do. Last night she hadn't been able to sleep because Totsuka had spent the entire time pacing. Even when he had moved into the office area sleep hadn't come. Just knowing that he was acting so strange out there made her worry. What had him so agitated? She had never seen him even a little displeased, not even when she broke his camera.

Peeking over the bottom of the window she saw that he was still pacing around the cubicles, looking irritated about something. Last night he had said he would search the rest of the building for anything useful, but he hadn't left yet. She wondered if maybe she should go and do it herself.

Totsuka stopped his pacing for a moment and he must have known she was watching him because he turned towards her with lightning-fast movements. Anna gasped quietly at the look in his eyes. He was so angry. There was definitely something wrong if he was looking like that. She'd only ever seen Mikoto that angry.

Ducking down to hide in her spot under the desk she started to wonder what was causing this change. The only thing that had happened was his injury, but there was no way it was causing this. It had only happened yesterday and when he let her change the bandage it wasn't bleeding anymore. Of course, the man that had bitten him was crazed.

Maybe…

Anna shook her head to rid herself of the terrifying idea. Totsuka would not become like that man. It wouldn't happen.

Out in the main office, Totsuka knew something was wrong. He had way too much energy considering how tiring the last two days had been. After spending half the night pacing by the desk he had left to not bother Anna, but he doubted that it would work.

Looking out over the city he found himself getting irritated at everything. Anna wasn't much help at all, spending all her time hiding and looking scared. She hadn't even shown him an ounce of gratitude for the backpack he'd found for her. Then there were the members of HOMRA. Where were they? Everyone knew where he and Anna had gone.

Where were Mikoto and Kusanagi? Weren't they supposed to be his best friends? Totsuka felt his anger rise at the thought of the two. They were pretty awful friends considering they hadn't found him or Anna yet. They were probably still at the bar, lounging around like usual while he took care of Mikoto's ward.

Shaking his head, Totsuka pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window. Why was he thinking about all his friends like this? Mikoto and Kusanagi had never abandoned him since the day they became friends. He knew, more than anything, that they were out there looking for him and Anna. And Anna was just a child. There was nothing wrong with the way she was acting. Neither of them knew what to do in this situation, but he was sure she knew even less than he did.

So why was he acting this way? His anger was skyrocketing every minute and it was starting to become impossible to ignore it. Clenching his fists he pulled away from the window and made his way to the stairwell door. Last night he had taken the body of the man he'd killed and left it on the floor above them. But he hadn't checked the body. This had all started after that man had attacked him. His hand was burning as he thought of the possibilities.

Taking the stairs two at a time he opened the door to the fifth floor that was a carbon copy of the fourth floor. The body was only a few feet away, covered in a tarp he'd found. Pulling back the crinkly material roughly he looked at the body and tried not to throw up. It was starting to decay, not that it had ever looked nice. It was a corpse.

It didn't help that he hadn't taken the screwdriver out of the man's eye. It had happened when the man fell into the tools after Totsuka hit him. There was only half of the handle sticking out of the man's face. When he had first attempted to remove it there had only been the disturbing feeling of the tip scraping against the back of his skull. It had been enough to deter him.

Taking a deep breath, Totsuka looked at the man, trying to find something that would disprove the theory that was growing in his mind. There was blood everywhere and it was near impossible to see where it all came from. He also knew that a lot of it was his. Peeling back the stained dress shirt he found what he hadn't wanted to see.

A bite mark.

It was obvious against the man's pale skin, each indentation dark. The skin around the bite was slowly becoming black with small tendrils reaching out from the mark to spread across the skin. It looked necrotic.

Without thinking, Totsuka tore the bandage off his hand to look at his wound. It had seemed fine when Anna patched it up last night, but now it was turning black. Just like his assailant's wound. Those same black tendrils were crawling away from the bite and up his hand. Swallowing hard, he quickly wrapped his hand back up.

Near Shinjuku Chuo Park

Kusanagi didn't know quite what to think of the unusual pair he and Mikoto had stumbled across. After fleeing from the park the day before they had spent most of their time poking around small stores before retreating to the hotel. He could tell it was irritating Mikoto that they hadn't made much progress, but there wasn't anything they could do. It was too dangerous to go out at night and they had to move carefully during the day.

That was how they'd found Tenkei Iwafune and his son, Nagare Hisui.

The older man was working on a handicapped van and had several empty beer cans scattered about while his son watched the alleyway from his wheelchair. Really, it was a miracle the two had survived. They were fairly amicable, something Kusanagi realized was in short supply after only two days in the crazed remains of Tokyo.

"Have either of you seen a little girl in a red dress?" Kusanagi asked the duo after all four of them had sized each other up. He was sure that he and Mikoto could take these guys in a straight up fight, but something seemed off about them. Either way, they had all decided to keep the peace for now. "There would have been a man with blonde hair with her."

Iwafune looked over at his son who shrugged but kept his gaze firmly on Mikoto. The boy seemed intent on his friend and he could tell it was irritating Mikoto. These past few days were definitely testing the man's fraying temper.

"Haven't seen anyone like that. Sorry." Iwafune said before taking a swig from the beer in his hand. Kusanagi had to wonder at the man's logic that he thought it was a good idea to drink right now. At the same time, it didn't seem to be really impairing him.

Kusanagi watched him return to the car, mumbling to himself and swearing quietly as he attempted to keep from making too much noise. He was making remarkable progress for a drunk. He wondered where these two were going that they needed a vehicle. It would certainly be easier to drive around now that most people had either died and come back or evacuated, but it would still be loud. It would draw attention.

Thinking back to the incident at the park, which he and Mikoto were determined to avoid a repeat of, he wondered for a moment if they wanted to draw attention. Perhaps they wanted to draw attention not to themselves, but to others. His brow furrowed at the thought and he frowned. It was a horrible thing to do.

"Before you go getting any weird ideas just know we're trying to get out of the city," Nagare told him, breaking his line of thought. Kusanagi raised a brow. Out of the city? Where would they even go once they were out? "There are lots of little towns outside the city limits that might be unaffected."

"That does sound like a smart idea." Kusanagi conceded, to which Iwafune merely grunted into his beer can. The city would be the most dangerous place right now, and leaving it would prove difficult, but there were fewer people in the countryside. His gaze slid over to Mikoto, who looked unimpressed by the idea, and he knew his friend wasn't leaving the city unless he had Anna and Totsuka with him.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to help them. It never hurt to build up some good karma.

"Is there anything you need?" Kusanagi asked, causing both Iwafune and Nagare to turn their attention towards him. The shock was plain on their faces and he wondered just what kinds of people they had met in the past two days. Just another reason to help them. "We're going to be checking out buildings in this area today, so if you need anything…" As he let the sentence trail off Iwafune looked at the beer in his hand.

"Well…" The older man said as he took another swig from the can. Nagare sighed loudly, bringing the attention back to him.

"We don't need more beer, father." He chided as he shifted in his wheelchair. "What we need is water. We have a lot of food, but almost no water."

Kusanagi got the feeling that they needed a lot more than just a couple bottles of water but considering his own goals for the day he wasn't going to press them.

"Water. Got it." He confirmed, ignoring the downtrodden look Iwafune was throwing him. Mikoto was the first to walk away, so Kusanagi followed him closely. The area around them was quiet for the most part. There weren't even any birds around. But they knew how quickly that could change and did their best to keep noise to a minimum.

Pulling out his map, a better one he'd traded his old one for at a convenience store, he opened it just enough to be able to hold it. There were a couple small red marks for places they'd already looked at, but it wasn't a whole lot. Stealing a glance over at Mikoto he found himself hoping they made more headway today. It would definitely improve his friend's sour mood.

They poked around a couple stores, making sure to put aside some water bottles for Iwafune and Nagare, but there wasn't much to be found. A small grocery store they passed had been picked clean save for some half-rotted produce. The only shelf untouched had journals on it. As the sun started to hit the middle of the sky they made their way back to where they had left the father and son. The van was abandoned when they got back, but Kusanagi still left the water in the backseat.

SCEPTER4 Headquarters

Munakata was frustrated, but he made sure not to let it show. The last thing his men needed was to know that the whole situation was starting to get to him. After his brief contact with the student at Ashinaka, Isana Yashiro he reminded himself, he had thought everything was going to smooth itself out in a couple hours. He had a place to fall back to and that was all he needed.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.

He had sent a team out to survey the possible routes to the island school, but no one had reported in yet. It should have been easy to find a route, set it up, and move the refugees around the city to the relative safety of the island. Of course, it was difficult to account for the new circumstances. So far the only thing running smoothly was the evacuation points themselves. Each one was reporting in every hour and there were no problems.

So at least he knew the civilians were safe.

The same couldn't be said for his men. The group he'd sent out to look for survivors had lost a man, but they all seemed to accept this hazard when that same group brought back six children. Even though there was a high chance that leaving the barracks meant death he was still receiving notices for who was willing to leave and look for people or supplies. At least the situation hadn't dampened their spirits.

"If the scouting team doesn't respond in the next hour attempt to contact them," Munakata told the three people manning computers in front of him. They were the center of the operation right now, keeping the lines of communication open and sorting through all the information that poured in through the Yuishiki system. Normally he would have to obtain permission from the Prime Minister and Kokujoji to activate the system because it broke privacy laws, but this was an emergency and it was proving useful.

With the Yuishiki system active, they were able to see most of the city. Phone cameras were only marginally useful, but there were cameras on nearly every street in the city. It was almost impossible to hide from SCEPTER4 right now, but there was so much information coming in it was difficult to determine what was useful.

"Understood, Captain." One of them told him, making sure to keep the team's location on the screen. Munakata looked up at the map, tracing the route the team had already created. It wasn't a straight shot to the island, but he was sure it was the most effective.

"Have we been able to establish communication with the Police Department?" He asked as he had every other hour since he had first made it a priority. So far there hadn't been any response to their attempts. He really hoped it wasn't that pig-headed Mamoru, the head of the entire agency, that was keeping anyone from responding. It was something he would do.

"Still no response, sir."

Even though he had expected the answer it still grated on his nerves. He swore if Mamoru was behind this there would be no end to the retribution Munakata would seek. Now was not the time for a pissing contest between SCEPTER4 and the Police Department.

"Captain."

Breaking from his thoughts on just what he would do to the head of the police department, Munakata turned to see his lieutenant. She was waiting for him to respond and he just knew that whatever she was going to tell him wouldn't be good. Problems seemed to be piling up around him.

"What is it, Awashima?"

"Mihashira Tower just sent word that they will be going into a level four lockdown, sir." She told him crisply and her words made everyone in the room pause for a moment. Truly, nothing was going the way it was supposed to. Level four? Mihashira Tower would now be cut off from the outside world entirely. Even their communications were going dark. Munakata had to wonder what the old man was thinking, giving such an order. Now they would lack any vital information that Timeless Palace would have.

This was the worst possible thing to happen.

Keibi Apartments

Another crash echoed from the floor below him and Shippo had to keep himself from whimpering. Whoever it was that was tearing apart the complex had been at it for hours. He wondered what they were looking for. He desperately hoped it wasn't the same person from last night. Maybe they were looking for food and wouldn't bother him.

Raucous laughter bounced down the hallway and he realized they were coming to his floor now. Shippo listened carefully as they busted down his neighbor's door. Grabbing his blanket he retreated to his bedroom and hid under his bed again. His pillow was still there and he wrapped himself up tight, hoping that they passed his apartment by.

If everyone outside of the complex was like this then he didn't want to leave. There wasn't much food and the water was barely running anymore, so he was going to have to leave. But he really didn't want to. He wanted to stay right here where he had lived with his daddy. For the longest time he had felt safe here, but now he wasn't so sure.

Tears started to gather in his eyes and he forced himself not to sob as he heard the front door get smashed in. He could hear two sets of feet moving through the kitchen and living room.

"There's nothing in here, brother." One of the men complained loudly. Shippo whimpered quietly and hoped they didn't hear him.

"Must mean someone's been staying here." The other replied before knocking over something in the living room. He heard papers being shuffled about and knew it was his homework that the man was looking through. That wouldn't give him away, would it?

"This apartment is a waste of time. Nothing worth taking." The first brother said, banging pots and pans together. He must be looking through the higher cabinets. After a moment of silence, the man shouted out. "Well, I spoke too soon!"

"There's enough of that back at the bar." The second brother said, his voice much closer than Shippo had first heard. He was in the hallway, close to his daddy's room. He could feel a sob building in his throat and smothered his face in his blanket to mute the sound.

"It never hurts to have more." The first brother retorted with a chuckle. It was such a sinister noise and Shippo had to work very hard to keep himself quiet. Then he heard the door to his room open up and gasped into the blanket bundled up around his face. The light came on and he could see a man's feet in the doorway. It was the second brother, he knew. Instead of going to his daddy's room he had come into his.

"I may have found something…" The second brother trailed off, his tone knowing. Shippo started to shiver from his spot in the back corner. Had he been found out? There wasn't much in his room that an adult would find useful, but still...

The man moved around his room and Shippo watched him silently. The second brother looked through his dresser and his desk, moving things around noisily, and Shippo made sure to hold his breath while it happened. With luck, they would both leave and think there wasn't anyone in the apartment.

Then the man stopped next to his bed, turning around as if to take in everything before he dropped to his knees without warning. Shippo gasped as the man's eyes, almost the color of cinnamon, peered at him through the darkness under his bed. A grin spread across his face and it sent fear coursing through his system. Shippo didn't try to stop the tears or his sobs now.

"I found something interesting, Manten."

North Business District

Kikyo wasn't sure that Sesshomaru's office was the best place to go right now. She and Inuyasha had decided they needed to get in contact with someone after their respite at the hospital. They had both wanted to find Kagome, who was undoubtedly thriving in the current environment, but there was no telling where she was. The shrine wasn't too far away, but she had been working when everything started. She might have gone back to her apartment, which was closer to her office.

Sango and Miroku had been another option, but the dojo and their apartment were both a fair distance away. Inuyasha had been the first to reluctantly bring Sesshomaru into the equation. The business district where their father's building stood wasn't too far away, and Inuyasha doubted his brother would have moved from the office.

Naturally, Kikyo had her doubts. The tension between Inuyasha and his brother was always so palpable she was sure she could see it in the air. Every time they met up it ended in a spectacular blow out. It was the reason she and his little group of friends avoided Sesshomaru. The only person to speak to him recently had been Kagome.

Still, if Inuyasha had made the suggestion she wasn't about to argue with him. She just hoped Sesshomaru would let them in.

"Inuyasha, are you sure this is going to work?" Kikyo asked as they moved through an abandoned alley. It had taken far longer than they thought to get this far, to the edge of the district. Dodging infected was difficult and they'd come across more than one on the way. Inuyasha had his bat, but with only one hand his hits weren't nearly as effective.

"Sesshomaru may be heartless, but the bastard ain't gonna keep us out in the open," Inuyasha told her, his tone as gruff as it always was when he talked about his brother. He peered around the end of the alleyway. It opened into a massive plaza that was situated in the middle of the district. There were many skyscrapers and food chains lining the edge of the plaza and one of those endless buildings belonged to Sesshomaru. "'Sides, if he doesn't let us in, or he ain't here, I know a secret way in."

Trusting his judgment, Kikyo looked around him to get a better image of the plaza. There were several sections of tables with umbrellas over them, clearly for people to enjoy their lunch. It was basically a huge outdoor cafeteria for everyone in the district. She'd had her lunch here once or twice while visiting Inuyasha at work. Back then it had been a hub of activity, even during off hours. Now there was no one.

"We should go to the front door first." She told Inuyasha as they crept carefully from the relative safety of the alley. The infected didn't often react to movement, but even the slightest sound could send them into a frenzy. Inuyasha slung his bat over his shoulder and kept a careful eye on the tables around them. There were some abandoned purses and bags strewn about, but other than that there was no indication that this had once been a heavily populated area.

It took them a good ten minutes to navigate the plaza and not hit anything or make any noise. Kikyo knew it would have taken them longer to go around the plaza, but the whole time her nerves had been firing. All it would take was one infected coming for them. She felt much better once they got close to the glass doors that were emblazoned with a frosted crescent moon.

Kikyo peered into the building while Inuyasha kept an eye on their surroundings. She didn't see much in the lobby. It was dark and there weren't even signs that people had been there before. To all appearances the building was simply closed for the day, not that it had ever been. It rarely even closed at night.

"I can't see anyone in there. Maybe he left." She told her boyfriend as she pulled away from the door. She could see Inuyasha sending an incredulous look over his shoulder in the reflection. He must have been so sure that his brother would be here.

"That bast-" Inuyasha's complaint was cut off by the sound of a table clattering to the ground. Kikyo turned in the direction of the sound that was now bouncing off all the skyscrapers around them. There was one table near the edge of the plaza that was still rolling on its side, chairs tossed in all directions. Even from the distance between them, she could see a person had crashed into the table.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha muttered, taking a few steps toward the plaza. Kikyo gripped the sleeve of his shirt tightly and pulled on it, hoping to keep him with her. The noise was definitely going to bring infected into the plaza, and quickly. There was so much distance between them and this person. The chance of getting there and back without attracting attention to themselves was nonexistent.

As more people poured out of a nearby alleyway Kikyo tensed and pulled harder on Inuyasha's sleeve. One person became six as the rest of the group worked to get their companion back up and moving. One person would be easy to handle, but there was no telling what such a large group would do or want if they saw them. Inuyasha pulled back against her and squinted to see across the plaza.

"Is that…? Holy shit!" He exclaimed as he dragged her along the edge of the plaza. Terror started to build in her and she was about to ask him what he thought he was doing when she got a better look at one of the people in the group. "Sango! Miroku! Over here!"

The couple turned at Inuyasha's yell, glanced back into the alleyway they had come out of, and made a mad dash towards them. Kikyo didn't know anyone else in the group, but if they were traveling with Miroku and Sango they couldn't be all that bad. Could they?

They didn't get far before a large group of infected burst from the alleyway behind them and made a beeline for the larger group. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks and started pushing Kikyo behind him, bat raised aggressively. Glancing behind them at Sesshomaru's office he swore loudly, turning to drag her back to the skyscraper. She kept her first aid kit clutched tightly against her chest and wondered where he thought he was going. The only way to get into the building now was to smash in the glass doors and that would only attract more attention.

"Sango! This way!" Inuyasha shouted back towards their friends as he went around the building to the back. As they rounded the corner she thanked every kami she used to pray to that there was no one in the tight space. Unfortunately, there were no doors either. What did Inuyasha expect when he came back here? The building was supposed to have top-of-the-line security and a basic door at the back wouldn't help keep that reputation.

Inuyasha stopped halfway through the alley and let go of her hand. She kept close to him as he swore again and started patting the smooth concrete wall. The sounds of the infected started getting closer and she knew that Sango and Miroku had listened to their friend. Looking back the way they came she made a split second decision and picked up the bat that Inuyasha had abandoned. She raised it in as threatening a manner she could, even though she knew it was useless. Intimidation didn't work on these people.

"Got it!" Inuyasha shouted in excitement just as Sango and her group joined them. Kikyo looked over her shoulder to see a small panel had opened up on the wall with a keypad inside. Inuyasha started to put in a code and part of the wall sunk in and raised up to reveal the inside of the building. She barely had time to blink before Inuyasha was tossing her inside, followed quickly by Sango and Miroku.

"Get in!" Inuyasha told the unknown boys following Miroku and Sango, throwing them in with the same care he had for her. He stopped to swipe up her first aid kit before diving into the building himself. Kikyo looked up to see a bright red button next to the opening and slammed her hand down on it without thinking. Luckily, it did just what she thought it would. The hidden door shut in the blink of an eye, catching the arm of an infected as it came down. The force and speed caused the arm to be sheared off and it dropped to the ground like a dead fish.

"Kikyo! Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked her, folding her up in his arms tightly. It felt nice to know he was there. She indulged in the comfort his arms brought her for a second before shaking her head.

"I'm fine." She replied quietly as he loosened his grip and leaned back to get a better look at her in the dim light of the room they were in. After a few moments, he seemed satisfied and let go of her to turn to his childhood friends. Sango and Miroku, somewhat surprisingly, enveloped Inuyasha in a group hug. The three of them clutched each other and she was sure that she saw tears gathering in Sango's eyes. It was almost awkward to watch. Inuyasha had always been close to his little group of friends, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome, and Kikyo had spent most of her time on the outside looking in. He tried to assure her that she was a part of the group, but the gap between her and his friends had always been there and she was sure it always would.

Sogo Hospital

The hospital was a mess. It was one of the biggest in the city, so it made sense for most patients to be transferred there. All the same, it meant the chaos was ratcheted up to the maximum. No one had stopped her from coming in and nurses were running back and forth in a panic. Kagome had watched them work, unwilling to interrupt them, and thought of Kikyo. She was no doubt with Inuyasha and Kagome hoped they were both safe.

Making her way through the hospital she quickly discovered that some parts had been closed off and barricaded. She didn't need to ask anyone why. Poking her head into various rooms she tried to find either her mother or someone who could point her in the right direction. Eventually, she struck gold when she found a nurse in a storage closet smoking. The woman looked up at her and didn't even make an effort to hide what she was doing, even though there was a no smoking sign right next to the door.

"Hey," Kagome said lamely, wishing there was something else she could say. The nurse took another drag from her cigarette and flicked the ash off to the side. It was a weirdly nostalgic scent and Kagome shook her head to dispel the thoughts forming there. Now wasn't the time. "I was wondering if you could help me."

The nurse sighed, rubbed her cigarette along the floor to put it out, and stood.

"The world ends and you still ask for help?" She questioned as she put her hands in the pockets of her scrubs. They looked crisp and fresh with the hospital name emblazoned across the chest. Behind the woman, she saw dozens of the exact same set of the scrubs packed into clear plastic and stacked neatly on one shelf. She didn't ask why the woman felt the need to change.

"I don't like it when people tell me what to do, so I try not to tell others what to do," Kagome explained, backing away as the nurse left the closet and closed the door behind her. A doctor ran by, but he didn't seem to notice them. The nurse followed him out of the corner of her eye but didn't move to follow him. "My name's Kagome, by the way."

"Sayuri." The nurse told her shortly, not making any real effort to continue the conversation. Under other circumstances, Kagome would have been irritated by her attitude, but right now she wasn't going to begrudge the woman.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to bother you. I'm just looking for my mother." Kagome told her earnestly, thinking of her brother who was waiting for her and their mother. She had convinced him to let her come alone, so long as she let him, Yata, and Fushimi make a trip to a nearby grocery store. While she wasn't completely on board with them being on their own she told herself, several times, that they were able to take care of themselves.

Besides, she trusted Fushimi to keep an eye on the other two.

Sayuri sighed again, but seemed to soften at the mention of her mother and started walking down the hallway. Kagome was quick to follow her, eager for any news. When she had called last night she'd said the hospital was fine. She had been transferred to this hospital from one in Okinawa when Kagome's aunt had gotten sick and been evacuated. The mention of a sickness had sent Kagome's stomach rolling. She had told her mother to stay put, mainly because she was such a gentle woman she would never survive on her own, and had set out the second sunlight warmed the shrine.

Following Sayuri down several hallways, Kagome started to wonder if her aunt was part of the reason this hospital was so hectic. Clearly, this infection had been in Okinawa as well as Tokyo. Where else had it spread? The rest of the country? The rest of the world? Before she could continue that disturbing train of thought Sayuri called out to someone.

"Hinata!" She yelled, waving towards a nurse station that dominated a crossroads in the hallways. There was only one person there, a doctor, and he looked up when his name was called. He looked strangely calm considering the situation.

"What is it, Sayuri?" He asked as she and Kagome joined him behind the desk. They sounded so comfortable together, and she wondered what their relationship was for a second. The doctor had a name tag on that told her his last name was Matsushita.

"I need to find someone. Can you help me?" Sayuri asked as she started sorting through the papers on the desk. Hinata only sighed and pulled out a couple of clipboards for her.

"You need to remember to wear your name badge." He scolded his partner as he handed her one clipboard and kept the other for himself. Sayuri rolled her eyes and snatched a badge off the desk, clipping it to her pocket. Kagome noted that her last name was the same. Matsushita. Were they married?

"What's your mother's name?" Sayuri asked her, bringing all attention to her. Hinata was looking at her curiously and she saw his gaze drift to her bow in one hand and the arrows slung over her shoulder.

"Higurashi Mei," Kagome informed them, watching as both immediately started looking through the lists to find her mother. The stacks of paper on each board were thick and for a couple minutes all she could hear was the shuffling of paper as they looked through the lists. This hospital must have had a lot of transfers once the infection started taking hold. After a bit, she heard Sayuri inhale sharply and send a look to Hinata. The doctor looked at her list and frowned.

"She was in the ICU the last time anyone saw her," Hinata told her with the gravitas of a doctor used to delivering bad news. Kagome felt fear start to creep up on her. She didn't want to think about it, but she already knew what they were going to tell her. The ICU was one of the barricaded areas. She bit her lip and looked back up at the duo who were giving her looks that were less pity and more understanding.

"Do you have a picture of her on your phone?" Sayuri asked without preamble, tossing aside the clipboard and holding out her hand. Kagome blinked and quickly fished her phone from her back pocket. There was little point in keeping it, but the habit had been hard to break. Opening it, she quickly navigated her way to a picture of her and her mother at the shrine. It had been during a festival. Before she could start crying she handed the phone off to the nurse. Hinata took a single look at the phone and started walking away.

"I'll check this side of the hospital, Sayuri." He said as he disappeared around a corner. Sayuri shook her head and took another look at the picture.

"Ignore my brother. I'll start looking for her." Sayuri assured her as she fiddled with the phone to keep it from locking while she looked around. Kagome followed her out of the nurse's station and wondered what she should do. If her mother really was in the ICU then there was a possibility that…

Kagome shook her head and straightened her spine. The last thing she needed to do was give up. She had two people looking for her mother in the rest of the hospital. There was only one thing she could do at this point.

"Sayuri?" She asked, stopping the nurse before they could leave the nurse's station. The woman stopped and turned to look at her. Kagome gripped her bow tightly and looked the nurse in the eye.

"I need you to let me into the ICU."


	6. September 8 (2)

Mine Shopping Center

Seri watched her squad move through a home decor store, gathering anything useful for the few survivors back at the barracks. There wasn't much in the store, but the blankets were thick and would keep everyone warm as the nights got colder. It felt strange to loot stores while still wearing her uniform and working for SCEPTER4. Maybe if she was in her civilian clothes it wouldn't be so odd, but she still felt like a law enforcer. Unfortunately, the law didn't matter that much anymore.

With a sigh, she joined her squad in their search. She found herself drawn to a corner of the store where everything was the same shade of cotton candy pink. There were decorative pillows and rugs and even some dinnerware. In the back, she found some fluffy blankets and ran her hand across one. It was soft. The color made her think of the youngest child the last group had brought in. She was wearing a dress the same color. Without thinking, she picked up the blanket and held it under her arm.

"Lieutenant?"

Turning around she saw Domyoji a few feet away, standing at attention. She schooled her features when he glanced at the blanket under her arm and tightened her grip. She could still see the others looking around the store, but she knew they had already found everything worth taking right now.

"What is it, Domyoji-san?" Seri asked as she led him out of the pink corner. She led them towards some fancy metal dinnerware and made a mental note of it. It might be useful soon.

"Where are we heading? Everyone's been wondering." He asked as they all started to gather at the entrance to the store. Seri looked out into the shopping center, eying the many stores on the second level. There wasn't much else here that would be useful to the small group of refugees at the barracks. What they needed to find was food. Maybe there would be something in the food court that wasn't perishable?

"We're supposed to get to the evacuation point west of Shizume. We need to get in contact with the Tokyo Police Department," Seri explained while leading the squad back to the entrance of the shopping center. With luck, no one had stolen their vehicle in the alleyway. Benzai had taken something out of the engine and assured her it wouldn't run without it, but that didn't mean someone might not try.

"Let's put this stuff in the van and then go to the food court," She ordered, leading the group out of the shopping center with care. Surprisingly there weren't many infected in the area, but they had encountered some in a few of the stores. When they went to the food court there was a chance there would be more there and she didn't want her men laden down with supplies.

Mentally going through their route Seri noted that it would bring them close to Kusanagi's bar. She thought back to her visit right before everything had fallen apart. Munakata had told her not to let on that something was spreading because it would create panic, but she had wanted to tell Kusanagi. She was sure that their conversation had sparked his curiosity but she knew that he didn't understand the full scope of what was going on.

Sparing a look back at her squad she wondered just how many people actually knew what was happening. Munakata had told her, in complete confidence, that this infection wasn't limited to Tokyo or even to Japan. This was happening everywhere according to the information Timeless Palace had shared before going on lockdown. One part of her wanted everyone to know the complete truth, but another part of her knew that not everyone would take such news well. If Tokyo in ruins could break people then knowing the whole world was in a similar state would send them off the deep end.

Releasing a sigh that didn't release any tension Seri looked up at the alley where the van was parked and froze. There was a man poking through the cab of the vehicle and even from the distance between them, she could see the handgun held loosely in his hand. Her mind immediately screamed that it was illegal for civilians to own firearms, but she reminded herself that the man could have easily taken it from someone else. He could have taken it from a cop.

Holding a hand out to stop her squad she motioned for them to move as quietly as possible. The van was maybe ten feet away from the alley entrance and it was something of a miracle that the man hadn't noticed them yet. Creeping towards the vehicle as quietly as she could, Seri reminded herself to keep one hand on her saber, careful to keep the blanket from blocking her draw room. It wasn't smart to fight someone with a gun, but she was ready to try if need be. With luck, this man would either leave them alone or ask for asylum at the barracks.

She was level with the front of the van when the man shut the door and noticed her. The frown on his face instantly morphed into a look of pure terror and he swiftly aimed the gun at her. She froze in place and motioned for the rest of her squad to do the same. If they moved too quickly it would startle the man.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, steadying his grip on the gun with his other hand. His arms were shaking, but that didn't stop him from aiming straight at her. Seri kept her hand on the hilt of her saber and prayed he didn't notice.

"I am Lieutenant Awashima Seri of SCEPTER4. What are you doing with our van?" She questioned with a steady tone. It had the desired effect as she saw the man visibly relax, but he didn't lower the gun.

"Scavenging, what else? What the hell's SCEPTER4 doing out here?" The man asked with a shrug as if what he had been doing should have been obvious. He was too far away from any of the evacuation points in the city, so he must have been a regular survivor making it on his own. She assumed there were a lot of people unwilling to put their safety in the hands of the police, but it was different seeing it herself. Was this what Kusanagi was doing? He wasn't registered at any of the evacuation points under SCEPTER4 control.

"Looking for supplies and survivors. We can take you back to the barracks and keep you safe," Seri offered, inching forward anytime he looked away from her. There were only a couple feet between them now. The man laughed at her statement.

"Keep me safe? As if anyone can do that anymore!" He shouted. Seri tensed as the noise traveled and tried not to think of what was definitely coming for them now. They needed to get out of here and soon. Unfortunately, before she could take a step towards the obviously broken man she heard movement behind her. Kamo's voice reached her, whispering for the man to keep quiet, but he never got to finish his sentence.

The man leveled his gun over her shoulder and fired.

The noise was worse than his shouting and she could feel the air beside her move as the bullet sped past her. Without waiting to see who it would hit, if they were alive or not, Seri pulled her saber from the sheath, the movement causing her to drop the blanket, and slashed it towards the man in one quick movement. He fell backward in shock and on reflex his finger pulled the trigger again, but the bullet went sailing over her head.

The man hit the ground with a thick gurgling sound as blood poured from the open wound across his neck. The spread from the cut had saturated the fallen blanket in thick, red blood. She could hear her men behind her scrambling to help whoever was hurt. They were crying out Kamo's name in desperation and she knew he was dying if he wasn't dead already. But none of that mattered as she looked down at her sword, covered in the blood of a man who had only been scared.

Ashinaka High School

"Shiro-kun, I heard something...disturbing."

Neko perked up at the sound of Kukuri's voice and abandoned the book Shiro had been encouraging her to read. It was a fantasy story about a princess saving the island she lived on and she knew why he was encouraging her to read it. With everything going on, and the island becoming more dangerous as the days passed, Shiro seemed to think it was important she stay positive. It was difficult to do so knowing there was someone attempting to kill her most important person, but she made the effort for him.

Peeking over the back of the plush chair she had claimed in the common room she watched Kukuri and Shiro. She hadn't left his side since the incident on the roof, but she knew Kukuri would never hurt her Shiro.

"What is it Kukuri?" Shiro asked in his usual upbeat tone. Neko could tell there was something off about his voice and tried not to show just how worried she really was. It would only make everything worse. Kukuri bit her lip and looked away uncomfortably for a moment. Their gazes met and Neko smiled encouragingly.

"I heard that one of the students in the north dorm was killed."

Neko froze, her mind immediately going to Kuroh who she hadn't seen since their argument this morning. He was undoubtedly behind this. He had a sword, knew how to use it, and had been itching to kill the person that had attacked Shiro. Neko looked over at Shiro and knew he was thinking the same thing. She didn't like accusing him, but it made the most sense. Kukuri looked between them in the silence and Neko spoke up first.

"Don't worry, Kukuri! We'll be safe here with Shiro and Kuroh," Neko told her friend, hoping she sounded more cheerful than she felt. Kukuri managed a small smile at the declaration but looked to Shiro for answers. Everyone had been looking to him for answers. Shiro managed a comforting smile that had always put Neko at ease and laid a hand on Kukuri's shoulder.

"I'll look into it, Kukuri. Kuroh and I will figure it out," He told her, although Neko knew that he had already figured it out. What would Kuroh say? Where was he? Shiro turned to her with a smile. "Why don't you stay here with Kukuri while I go find Kuroh?"

Neko was fully ready to argue with him about why they should stick together, but the look in his eyes stopped her. She bit her lip and nodded.

"I'm reading this really great book Shiro suggested! Let's read it together!" She exclaimed, gesturing for Kukuri to join her in the massive chair. When the other girl did Neko spread the book between them and pointed to where she had stopped. When she looked up, Shiro was already gone.

Outside, Shiro was worried. He didn't want to believe that Kuroh had killed someone so easily, and yet that had been his first assumption. He felt awful for thinking so poorly of his best friend. Gazing across the campus he tried to remember what it had been like before all this happened. It was difficult to move past how empty the island felt, but he could almost see everyone preparing for the festival together. It had been so much fun.

Now they were split between two dorms like warring factions.

Sighing, he made his way towards the main building. Kuroh had gone there to investigate his attacker, and Shiro hoped he was still there. Logically he knew that Kuroh could easily move between the north dorm and the main building, especially because he was so physically adept. But if he was in the main building right now Shiro would take it as a sign.

Unfortunately, he wasn't halfway to the administration offices when Kuroh intercepted him. He had his sword, but he didn't look like he had just killed someone. Of course, there was no way he could know what a killer looked like right after the deed. Maybe they were always this calm?

"What are you doing here, Shiro?" Kuroh asked as they stopped in the hallway. It almost felt like a normal day, but Shiro was about to ask his best friend if he had killed one of their classmates. He frowned and looked away in shame. He shouldn't be so suspicious of Kuroh. "Did you hear about the student in the north dorms?"

Shiro froze at the soft question and couldn't bring himself to meet Kuroh's gaze.

"Shiro," Kuroh said firmly and Shiro looked at him. Kuroh almost looked pained, and he knew that his best friend was aware of his suspicions. However, that didn't stop him from asking a question Shiro did not want to answer. "Did you think I did it?"

The hallway was quiet for a moment and Shiro bit his lip.

"I just…" He trailed off, finding it difficult to explain himself in the face of Kuroh's betrayed expression. He sighed and looked out the windows lining one side of the hallway. The water outside was blue again.

"It was Inoue-san," Kuroh told him bluntly. Shiro looked up in shock, upset to find Kuroh was avoiding his gaze. But he understood. He had betrayed his best friend in the worst way possible by thinking he was a cold-blooded killer. "I heard some of the other students in the kitchen talking about it."

Now Shiro felt even worse. Kuroh had been looking for food while he and Neko had thought he was killing someone. Still, the revelation that it was sweet, gentle Inoue that had been killed made a thick coldness seep into his chest.

"If it was Inoue-san, then that means…" Shiro trailed off again, unwilling to give voice to the fear that he was now dealing with. He looked over at Kuroh, some small part of him glad to see his friend was looking at him with concern once more.

"Your attacker is still on the island."

Natural Food Market

"This is the dumbest idea ever."

"You have to have done some crazy shit in your life."

"Yeah, but it never had the potential to get me killed."

"Then you were doing it wrong, little man."

Yata tried not to roll his eyes at the back and forth between Sota and Bankotsu, but it was hard not to. They had been like this from the moment their groups had met. He was starting to regret ever agreeing to team up, even for a little bit.

"Stop calling me that. I'm taller than you!"

"Yeah, but I remember when you only came up to my hip."

"Damn, both of you stop arguing like an old married couple!" Yata bit out as quietly as he could. While on any other day he wouldn't have cared about being quiet they were in a sticky spot right now. Besides, he was starting to get irritated just being stuck behind a cash register with everyone. Bankotsu and Sota both sent him glares that he ignored.

"Yeah, aren't we the married ones, Bankotsu?" Jakotsu questioned from his spot next to Fushimi, both looking over the counter to keep an eye on the slow-moving infected in the store. Bankotsu shifted his glare to his best friend.

"We are not married, Jakotsu," He said with a sharp edge to his tone. To Yata it sounded like Bankotsu was only a single comment away from strangling his friend, but Jakotsu seemed to think differently. He only pouted.

"We might as well be. What are the chances I'll find a cute guy now?" Jakotsu complained as he went back to watching the infected shamble up and down the aisles. One of the infected came into view, a young man, and Jakotsu eyed him for a second and gave an appreciative hum. "Although…"

"That guy is covered in blood. And dead," Fushimi commented as Jakotsu continued to look the infected up and down. He merely shrugged instead of answering and Yata watched Sota rub his forehead. What the hell was wrong with these guys?

"Kinda surprised it took them this long to kick it," Bankotsu told them as he joined his best friend in watching the deceased infected shuffle. It was a far cry from what they once were in the first stages of the infection. Instead of being on a hair trigger and having ridiculous strength and speed they were now only moving corpses. They were slow and weak compared to how they used to be.

"Yeah, I didn't think Higurashi's old man was telling the truth, but I guess he was," Yata mumbled quietly to Fushimi. There was a sharp smack against the back of his head and he turned to glare at Sota who was returning his look with a dry stare.

"My grandfather knew what he was talking about," He defended while shifting from one foot to the other. Yata mimicked him in an effort to get some feeling back in his legs. He was going to have to stand up soon or his legs were going to fall asleep. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he experimented on the infected at the tower."

Their little group became quiet as they all watched the creatures they were now sharing the city with. Yata tightened his grip on his bat and focused on the two infected he had been assigned. There were nearly a dozen in the store, so they all had to take care of more than one. At least they were slower now, but he had the feeling that their reduced speed wouldn't mean much if there were a lot of them.

"Let's just take care of this," Fushimi told them as he rested a hand on the saber Kagome had given him. It had been a gift that she was having held at a store until he had been accepted into SCEPTER4. When they had left the sports store they had taken a roundabout route to the shrine so she could take it from the store it was being held in. Fushimi hadn't let go of it since.

"Yeah, we gotta get back soon so Kagome won't worry," Yata told them and they all shifted to move. He followed Fushimi behind another cash register closer to their assigned targets. Sota stayed where he was and Bankotsu went in the opposite direction with Jakotsu. They were now spread across the front of the store. Yata kept his gaze on the two he had been assigned and waited for the signal from Sota.

"I wonder how Kagome's doing," Fushimi whispered next to him. Yata glanced at him for a second and tightened his grip on his bat.

"She's fine," he responded firmly. It wasn't just that she had to be okay, it was that he knew she was okay. The was no other possibility to consider. With how things were looking in Tokyo she might be one of the few people left alive that he knew.

Sota whistled sharply, catching the attention of every infected in the store, and Yata leaped over the register stand. His bat impacted harshly with the first infected he got to and sent it careening to the floor. Without letting his momentum slow he turned to the next infected and slammed the bat down on its forehead. He could feel the skull give way beneath the thick wood of the bat and blood went flying across the floor as the infected fell to the ground.

It was all over in a couple seconds and Yata went to check on his other target, which was twitching on the ground. He could hear Fushimi taking out another infected with his saber and raised his bat over his head. With as much strength as he could muster Yata struck the infected on the head.

Sogo Hospital

"I can't say this is a good idea, but I'm not about to stop you."

Kagome bit her lip as she followed Sayuri up the stairwell she had said would lead them to the roof. At first, she had thought Sayuri would just open the door to the ICU for her, or that she would have to find a way to open it herself, but the nurse had proven herself to be equal parts understanding and caring. It had been her idea to cross the hospital from the roof, where there were two entrances to the building, and avoid the majority of the infected that were close to the doors inside the building.

"I'm grateful for your help, Sayuri," Kagome told her companion once they got the top of the stairwell. Sayuri got out a small set of keys and was fiddling with them as she sent an incredulous look her way. Kagome knew she seemed insane, but she had to know. If Sayuri and Hinata couldn't find her mother, then she had to find her.

"Just make sure you don't do anything that could be even more dangerous, okay? I don't need you dying on me," Sayuri said while unlocking and opening the door to reveal the roof of the hospital. It was warm with the sun beating down on the flat surface that was covered in rocks. Before Kagome followed Sayuri out of the hallway she rubbed her shoes firmly against the tiled floor that dominated the building. They didn't make a sound no matter which angle she pulled the rubber soles against the ground.

When she looked up Sayuri was occupied with something in the distance. Walking onto the roof she stopped next to the nurse to see what she was looking at. There was nothing of note, just the various buildings that surrounded the hospital.

"It's so quiet," Sayuri whispered as if afraid to break the silence that surrounded them. Kagome wondered when the last time she had left the hospital was. Tokyo had been deathly silent for nearly two days now. Kagome scanned the roof and saw another door like the one they had just exited on the other side of the building.

"Is that the other entrance?" she asked Sayuri in an effort to break the quiet tension that was building between them. Sayuri blinked and looked over in the direction Kagome was pointing and nodded.

"Yeah. It's the entrance to the east wing, which is where you want to go," Sayuri informed her, making a beeline for the other door. It had the kanji for East in faded paint on it. "Remember, you want to be on the second floor. When you come out of the stairwell you go right and take the second left and you're in the ICU. There are only about eight beds in there, so it shouldn't take long to look through them."

Kagome fished the map of the hospital she had taken out of her pocket. She wouldn't be able to look at it once she was inside so she did her best to memorize the route Sayuri had outlined and the numbers of the ICU rooms. There were only eight like Sayuri had promised, but her mother could be in any one of them. Her mother could have decided to leave the ICU for another room entirely but it was best to start in the last place anyone saw her.

"Alright. This key you gave me," Kagome said while pulling a single key from her pocket, "is a master key, right?"

Sayuri nodded as they stopped at the door, "It'll open every door in the hospital, including this one." Kagome handed her the map, confident that she had memorized everything she needed to memorize. With no small amount of trepidation, she slid the key Sayuri had taken from Hinata into the lock and turned. It wasn't a loud sound but she still stopped to listen for anything that might be on the other side. There wasn't anything.

"I'll try to be back in an hour. It shouldn't take too long to look through the rooms," Kagome said while opening the door. The stairwell was completely dark unlike its counterpart on the other side of the building. Hinata had warned her that the east wing had no power anymore since it had been closed off but it was still much darker than she thought it would be.

"I know this is kind of a lot to ask…" Sayuri trailed off, bringing Kagome's attention to her instead of the small flashlight she was weighing in her hand. The nurse looked like she didn't want to make the request she was thinking of and Kagome smiled at her. Sayuri frowned. "If you find any supplies in the east wing while you're looking for your mom can you bring them back? Just basic stuff for first aid, nothing fancy."

"Sure. I'll see what I can find," Kagome agreed immediately, taking her backpack off and opening it. There wasn't much inside but she took all of it out and placed it in a shady nook near the door. A bottle of water and a package of mixed nuts wasn't something she expected anyone would steal, but it was still supplies. Now all she had was her empty backpack, a dozen arrows, her flashlight, a small knife, and her bow.

Kagome clicked on her flashlight and latched it onto the handle of her bow like Fushimi had shown her. It had been a last minute item he'd grabbed for her and she was glad he did. There was no way she could navigate the dark hospital without a flashlight, but she needed both hands to use her bow. Shining it into the stairwell she was grateful to see the pale beam was fairly strong. Kagome really hoped the infected weren't sensitive to light. She hadn't had the chance to experiment yet.

"Remember, this door will lock when you shut it," Sayuri told her as she entered the stairwell and looked down through the middle. She couldn't see the bottom but she knew her objective was two floors down. Turning back to Sayuri she watched as the nurse carefully shut the door, separating them.

"I'll see you in an hour, Sayuri," Kagome said with as much confidence as she could muster for the moment. The door closed silently and she was drowned in the pitch blackness of the stairwell. Her little flashlight didn't seem quite as strong anymore but she couldn't let that stop her. The darkness felt like it was pressing in against her from all sides and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

With steady, quiet steps Kagome started going down the stairs, stopping every now and then to listen. It didn't seem like there were any infected in the stairwell but they could be absolutely silent when they wanted to. When her light shined on a door with a two plastered on it she released an anxious sigh. This was her stop.

Taking care she pressed her ear against the door to listen for anything on the other side. She listened for a straight minute, but there was nothing. Not even a light shuffle or heavy breathing. Pulling on the door slowly she peeked out to see if there was anything near the door. She could see two infected down the hallway on the left. They weren't doing anything, just standing close to the wall in a hunched over position.

Kagome quickly flashed her light down the hallway to see if they would notice and nothing happened. She did it again, holding the light on them instead of flashing it around them, and they still didn't respond. Were they blind? Her grandfather hadn't said anything about this, but there was no telling what he had missed before the outbreak began.

Taking a deep breath Kagome slipped out of the stairwell, careful to close the door so it wouldn't slam shut. There were some windows on one side of the hallway that gave her more light to see from. Keeping an eye on the infected down the hall she noticed that they didn't respond to the quietest of noises. She wanted to experiment and see just how loud she could get before they would notice her but now wasn't the time. Besides, that experiment would be better done in the open where she could run.

Taking the right and heading down she stopped before the first hallway and carefully peek around each corner. There weren't any infected that she could see. Sayuri and Hinata must have been telling the truth when they said most of the infected were at the barred doors. There weren't nearly enough infected for a busy hospital wing yet. Continuing on she checked the second hallway and frowned.

There were two infected in the middle of the ICU hallway at the junction with another hallway. They were the same as the ones near the stairwell in that they didn't move or do anything. They just swayed back and forth in one place. There was no way she could search the entire ICU without alerting them. Looking around for a moment to find something she saw a glass bottle that had rolled to a stop against the wall. Picking it up she ignored the fancy label and tested the weight. It should make a loud enough sound if she managed to break it. Now she just had to find a good spot to lure them to.

Backtracking to the first hallway she checked it again to make sure it was empty. There was nothing and she could see the intersecting hallway that completed the grid-like layout. With a quick check on the infected at the end of the hallway she was in and a prayer Kagome tossed the glass bottle as hard as she could down the hallway. She was already leaving the area when she heard it smash and the noise echoed around the floor she was on. It was immediately followed by shuffling from the infected in the ICU but also from those behind her.

Attempting to be as quick and as quiet as possible she darted back to the second hallway and rounded it just in time to see the infected disappear in search of the noise she had made. Peeking around the corner she saw the other infected shamble towards the noise as well and hoped they went all the way.

Turning back to the ICU she looked through the window into the closest room and didn't see anything. Sliding the door open as quietly as possible she looked inside to see two beds with crumpled sheets and blood spread on the floor. Nothing. Backing out she checked the window of the next one and inside she could see an infected tied down to a bed. It wasn't struggling, so she assumed it couldn't hear the noise she had made. It also meant there wasn't anyone else in the room so she didn't open the door and moved on.

Kagome continued this way for the next four rooms, occasionally picking up some supplies like Sayuri had asked her to, and there wasn't much to find. It seemed like most of the people in the ICU had become infected, died, and returned to walk around the hospital. Peeking into the second to last room she didn't see anything at first. Then she spied it, sitting across the room on a table for visitors. Her mother's purse.

Carefully sliding the door open she closed it behind her to keep the noise to a minimum. This room was slightly bigger and she couldn't see everything from the doorway. There was also a curtain pulled around the bed for privacy. Hopefully, her mom was just behind it sleeping.

"Mom?" Kagome called quietly into the room. At first, there was no response but then she heard a groan come from behind the curtain. With a rush of hope and adrenaline, and without thinking at all, Kagome dashed to the bed and pulled back the curtain in one sweeping motion. What she saw on the other side made the hope she'd been holding onto dissipate like mist.

Her mother was tied to the bed with only one hand free. The groaning noise hadn't been her waking up. It was her reacting to the noise. Her mother's eyes were milky white and her skin was starting to get a pale, sunken look to it. She was transitioning from being alive to being dead.

Kagome stumbled back and the back of the knees hit the second bed in the room. Sitting on the unoccupied bed she stared at her mother as she became more aggressive and started lashing out with her one free hand. She gnashed her teeth together and stared at Kagome with the single-minded determination that only the infected had. There was absolutely no recognition in her gaze. The soft, warm look that her mother always gave her was gone and it had been replaced with vacant, uncaring eyes.

Bringing a hand up to her mouth Kagome did her best to muffle her sobs as the tears began to gather in her eyes and flow down her face. Her mother was dead. She had failed her. She should have left the shrine as soon as she'd gotten that phone call. She should never have waited to come to her mother.

"I'm so sorry, mom," Kagome whispered to the moving corpse that was struggling to attack her. She watched her mother for a few minutes, ingraining the scene into her mind. She was never going to forget this moment. This failure.

With a shaking hand, Kagome reached behind her to grab one of her arrows and held it tightly in one hand. Standing, she made sure to keep her distance from her mother's grasping hand. Looking down at the face she'd known since she was a child she hesitated with the arrowhead against her mother's forehead. Squeezing her eyes shut Kagome plunged the arrow into her mother's head until she stopped struggling and laid limp on the bed.

On the roof of the hospital, Sayuri was waiting. She had gone back inside at first and looked around for Kagome's mother but it quickly became clear that only Kagome could find her now. Hinata was still looking between checking on patients, but she knew it was a futile effort.

Taking a deep inhale from her cigarette she looked out over the Tokyo skyline that surrounded them. She had been out here numerous times during difficult shifts but it was different now. The usual noise of a busy city had been replaced with the silence of a dead one. Occasionally she would hear an explosion or a gunshot in the distance and if she concentrated she could hear the noise of an evacuation point a couple miles away. Other than that there was nothing.

Looking down at the buildings that surrounded the hospital she wondered how long they were going to last here. The hospital was by no means a fortress and the emergency power was going to run out eventually. There was also no way they could get everyone from the hospital moved when the time came.

Before her thoughts could continue their dark journey the sound of the east wing door opening caught Sayuri's attention. Throwing away her cigarette she turned with the expectation of seeing Kagome with her mother. That was what she wanted to see.

Instead, she saw the young woman who had found her in the supply closet come out alone, gripping an arrow covered in blood. There was a distant look in her eyes as if she was still inside the east wing and not on the roof. Sayuri jogged over to Kagome, who didn't even flinch when the door slammed shut behind her. She didn't respond to anything. Sayuri placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention.

"Kagome?" she whispered even though there was no point in doing so. Kagome looked at her in recognition and quickly averted her gaze as if she had done something wrong. "Kagome? What happened?"

Gino's East Bar

Shippo sniffled quietly in the closet he had been locked in. At first, he had cried without abandon but Hiten had come in and quickly put a stop to that. It was best to be silent right now. There was a can of some cold American food at his foot and he'd eaten most of it but he was determined to save the rest. What if they didn't give him any later when he was hungry again?

Doing his best to quiet himself Shippo listened for any noise in the bar where the brothers had made themselves home. There wasn't anything that he could hear so they must have left again to raid more apartments nearby. He had already tried the door handle and found it locked, which was just another reason for Hiten to hit him again, so he ignored it when he stood up.

Reaching up he managed to hit the light switch that turned on a small, pale bulb overhead. He had heard the brothers talk about the emergency power for the bar but he didn't think it actually worked. Looking around the closet he did his best to distract himself from crying again. He had to be strong right now, like his daddy.

There wasn't much in the closet even though there was enough space for him to move around and look at what was on each shelf. There was no food, as he had expected, but there were a lot of wallets and purses. Reaching up Shippo pulled himself onto one of the lower shelves with a dozen wallets on it. There was enough space between the shelves that he could crouch and sit on one.

He picked up the first wallet he saw and opened it to see a picture of a man and a woman smiling. They were dressed up for a wedding. Shippo decided they had fallen in love in high school. They had been in love with each other for years and stuck with each other even when times were hard. Maybe they hadn't thought they needed to get married but they had for the sake of their families.

Shippo smiled as he thought about the happy couple in the photo.

Putting the wallet aside he picked up another with a floral print stitched into it. There weren't any pictures inside aside from a license of a serious looking woman. He liked to think she only looked so serious when she was working. Outside of work, she was an artist. Her house was a mess and she had two cats and her neighbors thought she was odd but she was happy. Her art made her happy.

Deciding he enjoyed this game of figuring out who these people were he picked up another wallet.

Inside there was a man with a young girl and a large, fluffy dog. The man was the little girl's father and the dog was their best friend and protector. He kept away bad people like the brothers and played with the girl all day in the sun. They probably had a large house with a huge backyard and a swingset. The girl probably made amazing grades but sometimes got in trouble for fights.

Shippo propped the wallet open so he could see the picture and did the same with the other two. He imagined these people would all get along if they met each other. As he picked up wallet after wallet he found more stories hidden in them. A man with a picture of his daughter and son in the mountains must have loved the outdoors. An elderly woman wearing scrubs must have been the kindly old nurse that gave out lollipops. A formal photo of an older woman and a younger woman who were likely mother and daughter and had a lot of money.

He was so excited to think of these many stories that he didn't even look when he picked up another wallet and opened it. When he did his smile disappeared and he began to tremble. The wallet was a familiar worn leather that he had picked out as a gift when he was little. His father's face was smiling up at him from a picture of the two of them at the park. Pulling it from his father's wallet he clutched it tight to his chest.

What had these two done to his father?

The door opened without warning and Shippo looked up into piercing eyes of Hiten. He looked almost bored as his gaze roamed over the wallets and Shippo's little collection of stories. Shippo tightened his grip on the photo and slowly anger started to replace his fear. Glaring up at the man that had taken him Shippo managed to force out a single question.

"What did you do to my daddy?"

Hiten smirked at the question, completely unafraid of the deadly look Shippo was attempting to muster.

"We killed him."

7-Eleven Convenience Store

Mikoto watched as Kusanagi wrote down yet another note for Anna and Totsuka. He had picked up a marker in the last store they were in and now he was writing his notice on any piece of paper he could find. They had left them in every building they searched where it would be easy to find.

"Let me find some tape," Kusanagi told him as he started searching behind the cash register. Mikoto took a minute to look at the note while he waited.

'Totsuka and Anna,

Don't go to the park again.

Head towards Nokori Hotel.

We will find you.

\- Kusanagi and Mikoto'

They all said the same thing. At first, Kusanagi had worried that advertising their location wasn't the smartest idea. The notes could just as easily bring some crazed person to the hotel as it would Totsuka and Anna. That didn't stop Mikoto. He didn't care who showed up at the hotel so long as two of those people were Anna and Totsuka. Of course, the hotel was massive and it was near impossible to figure out which room they were in without checking every single one.

They were just going to have to take the risk.

"Got it. Let's go," Kusanagi said as he grabbed his backpack and the note off the counter. They left the store and he taped it to the door with the packing tape he had found. Then he pulled out his map and marked a small x on the street they were on. The map was littered with these same small markings and it was frustrating to look at. They had covered so much ground and yet there wasn't even a hint as to where Totsuka and Anna had gone.

It didn't help that they were finding corpses in most of the buildings. It seemed that while the infected were out roaming the streets looking for blood the living had been inside killing each other. More often than not it seemed that people were dying just because they had crossed someone dangerous.

Maybe Totsuka and Anna had come across such a person. Totsuka was so ridiculously trusting that he would probably walk right up to a serial killer and ask their name.

With a sigh, Mikoto ran a hand through his hair and pulled his cigarettes from his jacket pocket. There weren't many left but most of the convenience stores they had been in had already been looted. Apparently, there were people who still only wanted smokes and money, no matter that it wouldn't do them much good now.

Lighting up a cigarette he leaned against the convenience store so he could look out over the intersection they were at. It was a smaller one but still lined with restaurants and stores. There was a bar across the intersection and it was actually one he recognized. He had been there just last week with Kagome. She had been stressed out because of a new client who changed their demands every week.

He found himself wondering once again where she was and what she was doing. If she was even still alive at this point. He was probably never going to see her again and that hurt more than he was willing to admit. He'd gotten used to having her around.

"We'll find them soon Mikoto," Kusanagi said, breaking him from his depressing chain of thought. Mikoto tossed away the cigarette even though he hadn't finished it. Kusanagi shouldered his backpack and turned away from the intersection. Mikoto sent another look at the bar before following him. He tried not to think about the chances of finding Totsuka and Anna alive.

North ARK Offices

Anna stared at the map spread across the break room table and tried hard to memorize the many twists and turns that would take her back to the bar. It was a long ways away but Totsuka seemed to think she could make it there easily. A frown pulled at her lips as she thought of how Totsuka was acting and the things he was saying. Every time he talked about going back to the bar it was as if he wasn't going to be going with her.

She realized the bite he'd gotten from that man was changing him but she didn't think it was so bad that they had to split up.

While she was still a child Anna wasn't ignorant. She knew that something terrible was happening in the city right now and it was happening to Totsuka. People were acting strangely and attacking each other. Totsuka hadn't let her out of the office since they arrived, even when he left, and she knew it was because the streets were dangerous right now. Could she really make it without someone looking out for her? She wasn't a fighter. Not like Mikoto.

Thinking of Mikoto made her focus on her assignment. If she could get back to the bar she would be safe no matter what happened. Mikoto would never let anything happen to her. The same was true of Totsuka who was currently fixing up a closet to keep her safe. She didn't want to think of how it was going to keep her safe.

"Anna?"

Anna perked up at the sound of Totsuka's voice. He seemed much calmer than he was last night. There was a smile on his face and while it seemed forced it was a step in the right direction. Totsuka was always smiling.

"Have you figured out how to get there yet?" He asked as he stood next to her and looked down at the map and the red line he'd drawn along the many streets. It was a large map, covering nearly the entire table, and Anna was finding herself forgetting a few turns every now and then.

"Kind of. It's hard," She confided as she started to trace the route again with her finger. She came to an intersection and she thought it would be a left turn but the red line went right and she frowned. Another miss.

"Well, you'll have it with you for reference so I'm sure you'll be okay," Totsuka tried to assure her even though he was once again reminding her that this was a trip she was taking alone. Instead of smiling at him like she wanted to Anna found herself frowning again. "Let's get all your stuff ready to go."

Totsuka folded up the map carefully so that it would fit in her little backpack. He started walking out of the break room but Anna didn't follow him. She didn't want to. She didn't want this to be real. When he realized that she wasn't following him Totsuka turned around with a quizzical look on his face. Anna fisted her hands into the front of her dress and told herself that now was definitely not the time to get upset.

"This is because of your bite, isn't it?" She questioned softly. The whole building was silent so it was easy for her to be heard. Totsuka's smile became sad as he walked back to her.

"Yeah. I just want to be safe."

"Wouldn't we be safer together?" Anna questioned petulantly as she stayed rooted to her spot on one of the chairs. Totsuka sighed as if releasing his frustration and crouched down so they were at eye level with each other. She could see the anger lurking in his eyes that he had been carefully keeping at bay since last night. How could a bite cause such a drastic change in a person?

"I don't want to hurt you, Anna," Totsuka told her softly, wrapping a hand gently around her own and loosening her grip on her dress. Her knuckles were white and he rubbed over them to get some color back.

"You would never hurt me."

Her statement was so resolute and so sure it almost felt like she could change the world through her words alone. If she said it enough times and with enough confidence maybe what she said would be true. He would be okay and never hurt her.

"I might. I need to do this. To keep you safe," He told her firmly and maybe he was the one with the power right now. What he said would come to pass. She knew it would.

"I don't want to go," Anna whispered to the space just between them. She was clutching his hand now and her knuckles were turning white again despite his former attempts.

"I know, Anna."

Taisho Corporation Main Offices

"I completely forgot about that entrance."

Miroku looked over at Sango as they moved through the dimly lit back rooms of the Taisho offices. They were only on the first floor so there wasn't much to find. Of course, Miroku was of the opinion that Sesshomaru would have already gathered everything useful in his building and concentrated it somewhere he could access easily. It was no surprise to anyone that Sesshomaru had taken over the company. He had considerable leadership abilities, even if Inuyasha detested him.

"It has been a while since we came here," Miroku commented while taking in the modern designs of the front as they all filed into the open space. It was very exposed with all the glass windows and doors giving a clear view of the outside. There were a few infected roaming around but none of them seemed to notice their group beyond the glass.

"Keh. No thanks to that bastard brother o' mine," Inuyasha griped while rummaging through the receptionist's desk and finding nothing. Miroku glanced at Sango, who was rolling her eyes, and forced himself not to mention that it wasn't all Sesshomaru's fault.

"I'm guessing you don't get along with this brother of yours," Eric said, bringing the attention of everyone in the room to the group of boys that had been with him and Sango. Miroku knew that Inuyasha was going to be suspicious of them, as he was with all new people he met, and he hoped that vouching for them would lessen his friend's brash attitude with strangers. Kikyo was standing off to the side, as she usually did, and was watching the four boys carefully. Inuyasha wasn't the only one wary of strangers anymore.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Inuyasha asked in his usual tactless manner. Some things never changed no matter how many years had passed. Miroku found himself stepping forward without thinking to put himself between Shohei and the others and his closest friend. Inuyasha scowled at him, instantly recognizing his diplomatic stance.

"This is Shohei, Fujishima, Eric, and Bando. They've been helping us," He said as pleasantly as possible. Inuyasha relaxed minutely at the knowledge that they had been working together but still sent a sharp look at the strangers. Stepping to the side Miroku finished his introductions. "This is Inuyasha and Kikyo. We've known them since we were all kids in the same village."

For a second Miroku thought there was going to be an awkward silence because he knew that Inuyasha wasn't going to engage in any pleasant conversation. Then a smile spread across Shohei's face.

"That's cool. I'm glad you guys were able to find each other," He said in the same amiable tone he'd had since they met in that office complex. While at first, it had been a bit unnerving that he was so cheerful in such situation Miroku found that he quickly became accustomed to it. That was simply how Shohei was. Unfailingly positive.

"Yeah, all we need now is to find Kagome and Sota," Sango commented while keeping up her position on Inuyasha's other side, her body angled between the two parties. Miroku was glad that at least one person was firmly in his corner. His gaze slid to Kikyo who was clutching her first aid kit close to herself and watching the proceedings carefully. As was typical she stayed out of any conversations between them and Inuyasha. At first, he had thought it was because of Kagome's presence that she kept to the sidelines but now he wasn't so sure.

"Are you alright, Kikyo?" He questioned pleasantly in the hopes that attention would divert to her and end the tense discussion between the others. Kikyo's attention focused on him and Miroku made sure to pull out his best smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sango roll her eyes even as her cheeks tinted pink.

Kikyo opened her mouth to respond, a huge step in the right direction for Miroku, but was cut off by a new arrival in the lobby. The smooth voice was familiar even though it had been a few years since they had last seen each other.

"For once you have surprised me, little brother. I expected you to be dead."

I know it's been a while since I last updated and I'm sorry it took so long. The past two months have been a very hectic period in my life and I haven't had as much time as I would like to write. Hopefully, this summer will be significantly more relaxed and I'll be able to finish future chapters quicker. Thank you for reading and commenting. I love hearing what you have to say!


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